


at the end of the road (my dream is always you)

by princepixel



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Dance, Alternate Universe - Sports, Breakdancing, Coming of Age, Crack, Dancers, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Getting Together, Humor, Inspired by Real Events, M/M, Stage Names, Strangers to Lovers, alternate universe- non idols, bboy, cameos by monsta x red velvet seventeen etc, famous taeil, famous taeyong, jisung fortnite dances jsyk, loona cameos, moon taeil is an angel, the breakdance au absolutely NO ONE asked for and yet here we are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-07 02:33:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19075699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princepixel/pseuds/princepixel
Summary: Beat me in a battle.Jaehyun absentmindedly traces the raindrops as they begin to slide down the window, ignoring the sound of Taeil flicking on the rusty old windshield wipers. He looks up, his own small smile reflected back to him in the blotted glass.Jaehyun’s nothing if not up for a challenge.(In which Jung Jaehyun is thrust into a world of quick steps and crazy acrobatics with one goal in mind: get closer to the mysterious boy with the bright red hair, and don't break his neck while he's at it.)





	at the end of the road (my dream is always you)

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO!!! it's been forever since i've posted, i'm so sorry. i said 20biteen was the year we'd reclaim jaeyong from the straights and im only starting my agenda now :( 
> 
> it's been exactly a year since i posted my most popular work (my luwoo yelp au) which is insane and im so, so grateful for all the love yall have shown me. thank you guys!!! i hope you'll forgive my hiatus,,, anyways, this is the deadly combo of me becoming a bgirl + 127's 90s bboy themed vcr. i really, really hope you like this!! unedited lmao
> 
> enjoy <3

“ _JAEHYUNNIE!_ ” Someone scream-gurgles to the high heavens, ripping the Winnie the Pooh patterned comforter off said boy’s frame. Except-- since Jaehyun likes to burrow into his blankets like a hibernating feral animal-- all the culprit really achieves is slowly unrolling the blanket burrito-boy hybrid until he not-so gracefully thuds onto the hard tile of their dorm floor.

 

“Ow.” Jaehyun whines and claws out for his snuggly blankets, swollen eyes squeezed defiantly shut. It’s Saturday, isn’t it? There’s no reason for him to be awake this early. Or, like, at all. He cracks one swollen eye open and pinpoints a small stream of sunlight shining in from the slightly cracked blinds. It’s not too strong, so it must be before noon and therefore completely against the law for him to be awake. Absolutely illegal.

 

He voices this much to the fool who dared tempt death by rousing him so early, but the resounding _thwack_ of fingers against his forehead is the only response he gets.

 

“Oh, come on, Jaehyun. You can stop hissing at me now. I’m cashing in a favor.”

 

Jaehyun begrudgingly identifies the voice to belong to Moon Taeil, his normally beloved and treasured college roommate. His kind, respectful, understanding, sweet, good natured, clean, and quiet older friend who he would die for and who is also _absolutely_ on Jaehyun’s goddamn hit list right now.

 

He peels his eyes open to see an excited Taeil leaning _way_ too close to his face, breath fanning out against his skin. “What.”

 

Taeil’s mouth moves for a few seconds, Jaehyun’s brain lagging pretty far behind as he realizes those were probably supposed to be words. Sentences. Wow, Jaehyun is not prepared at all for real human interactions this early in the morning.

 

“Huh?” He mumbles groggily, and Taeil sighs before yanking him up. Jaehyun has half a mind to lecture Taeil about accidentally dislocating his shoulder like that. Alas, half a mind is truly all he has, so he stays silent. Strands of hair fall into his eyes as he faintly tries to pat down his bedhead.

 

Taeil props him up against the frame of his bed, the wood digging into his back waking him up a bit. Not enough to not want to murder Taeil on sight, though.

 

“Wake up!” Taeil pushes at him, uncharacteristically chipper. “We’re going somewhere today.”

 

“Where?” Jaehyun’s eyes narrow suspiciously as his audio processing finally catches up with him. A favor. A _favor_? What in God’s name could Taeil want from him? “...Why? I don’t owe you shit.” Jaehyun feels his confidence dwindling even as the words fall out of his mouth, dread washing over him as he sees the glint in Taeil’s eyes.

 

“Oh, _really._ ” Taeil challenges, and oh boy Jaehyun’s really in for it now. “Remember the time you got really drunk and paid fifty dollars to take an online course to become an ordained minister? And then promptly drunk officiated a marriage between Renjun and Donghyuck and nearly got strangled to death when Renjun found out in the morning?”

 

Jaehyun groans. He can already feel a headache forming behind his eyes at his words (not to mention phantom bruises around his neck. God, Renjun is stronger than he looks). “Your point?”

 

Taeil taps his chin in mock thought. “Remember how I fixed that for you _and_ held off Renjun’s scary raging boyfriends?”

 

Jaehyun doesn’t move. He doesn’t remember much from that night, honestly-- whether it was the alcohol or him just repressing the memories is anyone’s guess.

 

“What about the time that weird man in the campus bookstore claimed to be a warlock and tried to give you a bunch of funky smelling ‘protection’ charms and you took them like the precious fool I know and love and then convinced yourself you were cursed and had me ‘break the curse’ by--”

 

“Okay!” Jaehyun shouts, panic shooting up his spine as he frantically tries to stop the older boy. “I get it!”

 

“ _Or_ how about the time you accidentally washed your underwear with coconut detergent even though you’re deathly allergic to coconut and I had to rescue you from class when--”

 

“Enough! Enough! I yield!” Jaehyun smothers Taeil’s words with the closest object to him, which happens to be an old juggling club from Jaehyun’s brief foray into the campus circus arts team. The tips of his ears burn crimson. “I get it, I owe you a favor! Like, ten million favors. Just please, stop talking. What do you want?”

 

Taeil smiles just a little too wide at that, and Jaehyun’s stomach drops out of his body. “You’re coming to one of my dance meets.”

 

“Your...dance meet.” Jaehyun parrots sleepily. It isn’t until a few seconds later that Jaehyun realizes what he’d implied. “Oh, fuck, your breakdancing thing?”

 

Taeil’s eye twitches a little bit. “Breaking. Don’t call it breakdancing, that’s not a thing.”

 

Jaehyun bites his lip. “Sorry. Anyways, why…?” He lets the question hang in the air. He and Taeil are pretty close for college roommates. Jaehyun faintly knew Taeil was a dancer, but the older boy was always quiet about it and Jaehyun didn’t like to pry. Well, that’s a lie. Jaehyun’s a nosy little shit who just never thought to bring it up after Taeil initially told him. Why now?

 

“I got myself and my crew tickets to a jam in the city today, but Johnny can’t make it and I don’t want the ticket to go to waste. It'll screw with the team budget, so I really, really need someone to fill in. Will you take it? Please?” Oh dear, Taeil’s eyes are getting all crinkly and sad. Jaehyun can’t say no to him.

 

“Why me?”

 

Taeil smiles warmly at him. “Well, I want you out of the house a bit.”

 

“We don’t live in a house.”

 

Taeil thwacks him on the forehead again. “Don’t be a little shit about it. You’ve been working yourself way too hard the last few weeks and you need to unwind a bit. Plus, it’ll be fun! Breaking is really fun to watch, and you might even learn a few things.”

 

“I don’t dance, and I never will.” Jaehyun insists, instantly grimacing at his choice of words and holding up a hand before Taeil can break into a startlingly beautiful rendition of I Don’t Dance from High School Musical 2 (undeniably the best movie ever crafted).

 

God knows he’s done it before.

 

In the end, Jaehyun can’t say no to his tiny roommate who puts up with so much of his shit, and thus finds himself pulling on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and whacking a beanie over his head. He doesn’t look half bad, and even feels a little excited about the day’s escapades. It’s an opportunity to get to know something that makes Taeil really happy. That is, until he catches sight of the mounds of multivariable calculus homework eclipsing his desk.

 

Damn himself for letting Moon Taeil get so much blackmail on him.

 

 

                                                                               _________________________________________________

 

 

“We’re here!” Taeil sings, jerking his keys out of the ignition. His rickety car sputters to a stop and he pats the flaking wheel fondly. She’s old, but does her job.

 

They’re parked outside a rather unassuming building. Cars line the street, but somehow Taeil snagged a really nice spot right by the entrance. Jaehyun’s eyes travel slowly to the burly man standing in front of the door, who throws Taeil a wink and a wave. What the fuck? Did they _reserve_ this for Taeil, or something?

 

Just what has he been missing about his roommate?

 

Jaehyun, bewildered, turns to the boy in question. “What was _that_ all abo--” He grunts as a bundle of thin fabric smacks him in the face mid-sentence.

 

“Put this on. You’ll blend in better.” Taeil says, and is out of the car before Jaehyun can protest. He slowly unrolls the fabric in his hands to reveal a rather edgy windbreaker. Confused, he peers out the window to where the scary bouncer is grinning widely at Taeil, greeting him with a casual fist bump and nodding towards the building. Taeil waves his arms a bit and gestures back to Jaehyun, who throws on the jacket and scrambles to catch up.

 

The bouncer sizes him up and takes his ticket-- which is crumpled with sweat-- as he silently secures a red wristband on his arm. “Good luck.” The man sends him off with a smile he can’t quite decipher, and Jaehyun suddenly feels like he’s in way over his head.

 

“Uhh, Taeil?” Jaehyun tugs uncertainly on the boy’s arm, but finds he can’t piece together a coherent question. Just, what the _fuck_ was he getting into?

 

“Oh, did Wonho scare you?” Taeil laughs softly, and Jaehyun bites back his strained scream of _YEAH JUST A LITTLE BIT!_ “Ah, he looks real intimidating, but he’s a puppy at heart. Seriously. Everyone in this community is super friendly and welcoming towards beginners.” He waves a dismissive hand.

 

“I am _not_ a beginner. I’m just here to observe and take up space, remember?” Jaehyun grits his teeth, panic rising in his throat.

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Taeil replies distractedly as they enter two large double doors.

 

A wave of anxiety washes over Jaehyun as they elbow their way into the space. The venue is absolutely teeming with people, arms and legs flying all over the place. Overwhelmed, Jaehyun clutches onto Taeil’s arm as he pulls them through, wide eyed at the flurried movement surrounding him.

 

The space is rather dimly lit for its size, and dancers seem to be clustered in a number of little circles strewn throughout. Music thumps through the room, mostly raw, tinny beats and raspy rapping. Tape and lights mark off a makeshift stage towards the DJ in the back of the gym, where another circle has formed. It seems whatever competition it hosts hasn’t begun yet, as people fluidly move in and out of the circle seemingly at random. Or, maybe that _is_ the competition.

 

Jaehyun has no fucking clue what he’s looking at, to be honest.

 

“Sichengie!” Taeil stops short, Jaehyun slamming gracefully into his back. Taeil proceeds to drape his whole existence over a skinny boy with blindingly bright clothes. He’s got little elf ears that delicately stick out from the brim of his beanie, sparkly eyes, a small pout forming on his lips, and looks like he absolutely wants to murder Taeil right then and there. Jaehyun can kind of relate as he dodges yet another foot flying in his direction.

 

Something clicks, and Jaehyun suddenly feels the rush of anxiety break. He knows this guy!

 

“Oh!” Jaehyun exclaims, shoving Taeil off the boy. Sicheng looks grateful, but there’s something warm flashing behind his eyes that Jaehyun can’t quite put his finger on. It’s not his business, anyways. He strains his voice to raise above the music.“I think I know you. You’ve come to hotpot Tuesdays a few times, right?”

 

“Yeah,” Taeil groans from the floor. “He’s a toughie to convince out of the house.”

 

“More like blackmail.” Jaehyun mutters under his breath, and Sicheng muffles a laugh with his hand. Jaehyun relaxes a bit. He had no idea Sicheng was into breaking-- he’s probably a part of Taeil’s team. Perhaps Jaehyun knows more people here than he thought.

 

Perhaps this won’t be so scary after all.

 

“So…” Sicheng gestures vaguely around the gym, tilting his head towards Jaehyun in a silent question. Jaehyun furrows his brows as he shrugs in a _I don’t know why I’m here either, man_ type of way. He thinks Sicheng gets the gist. He likes Sicheng.

 

Sicheng helps Taeil up, who seems to have utilized his time on the ground to get some stretching in.

 

(Jaehyun pretends not to notice the boy’s hand linger just a little too long in Taeil’s.)

 

“B-boy Eclipse in the _house_!” Someone hollers at the top of his lungs, bear hugging Taeil’s little body. Jaehyun watches in awe as he’s completely enveloped in the embrace.

 

“Mingyu! How’ve you been? Any luck on those swipes?” Taeil’s reply is muffled into the dude’s chest.

 

The overzealous ‘Mingyu’ guy eventually releases Taeil, clapping him on the back. “Not yet! Hoshi’s been having us drill freezes like crazy recently, so us powerheads have barely gotten a break. I haven’t fallen on my elbow freeze in weeks, though!”

 

Soon after, more bodies crowd closer to chat with Taeil, and Jaehyun gets jostled away a little.

 

“Hey, you’re Taeil’s newbie, aren’t you?” Someone speaks right next to his ear, and Jaehyun flinches. When he turns, he’s met with a bright eyed and bushy tailed kid bouncing next to him, his snapback slipping down his forehead.

 

“Uhh…”

 

“You’re so lucky, you know that?” He rises onto his tiptoes, peering above the crowd. Jaehyun follows his gaze, eyes blowing wide as he glimpses Taeil in the middle of the circle, spinning around and around on his head. “I’d kill to train under him.”

 

“I had no idea he was this good,” Jaehyun gasps as Taeil’s feet fly faster than anything he’s ever seen, cleanly hitting beats and jumping into impossibly balanced poses, like on one hand or one elbow. He’s never seen his normally reserved and introverted roommate like this.

 

This Taeil has fierce swag and attitude-- which Jaehyun doesn’t doubt he’s always been capable of-- but he’s flourishing in the spotlight, not shying away from the center of attention like Jaehyun knows him to do. Is this really the same man who turns down Yuta’s party invitations to go bird-watching in the woods? The same man who Jaehyun had to help build a tiny back brace to help Myrtle, his poor wilting fern, stand up straight?

 

Moon Taeil is clearly not someone to underestimate.

 

The boy next to him bursts into laughter. “For real?! Man, Eclipse is like, the best b-boy on this side of the country. He’s something else. He even came up with the Deadman Float!”

 

_That sounds like a serial killer move._

 

While Jaehyun struggles to formulate a response, the energetic boy’s interest is piqued by something else. He claps the stunned Jaehyun on the shoulder, disappearing into the crowd.

 

Jaehyun looks around to find he’s completely lost Taeil now, but that’s okay.

 

This is obviously Taeil’s scene. He seems to be a bigger deal in this community than Jaehyun gave him credit for, so he might as well leave him be and scope out the area a bit. He can’t understand half the terms they’re using anyways.

 

He owes it to the boy to at least make an effort.

 

Looking around, they seem to be on the edge of one of the circles he spotted earlier. Dancers dart in and out, sometimes dancing for minutes on end, and sometimes just going out to practice one or two moves. There doesn’t seem to be a logical order to it, and yet there’s a steady rhythm that keeps the whole thing going. Jaehyun doesn’t catch even one awkward pause in the flow the entire time he watches them.

 

Captivated, Jaehyun watches as two breakers step out at the same time. One of them wordlessly steps back with a smile on his face, biding his time until he can break through. Gaze traveling around the room, Jaehyun notices that most of these circles function like this, governed by unspoken rules. Some groups are smaller, likely devoted to honing certain moves. Each dancer’s flow is a little stilted as they struggle to string together unfamiliar moves. Other circles are more aggressive, more polished, where the goal seems to be to warm up for the competition in both body and spirit.

 

It’s fascinating.

 

“Cyphers.” Sicheng reappears by his side, jutting his chin towards the circle. Jaehyun jolts, torn out of his thoughts.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Taeil really didn’t prepare you, hm?” A ghost of a smile hovers on Sicheng’s lips. “These are called cyphers. They’re like a conversation. Each dancer plays off the energy of the last one, even if they’ve never met before in their lives.”

 

It’s absolutely the most he’s ever heard Sicheng speak. The slender boy takes two tiny steps into the circle, claiming his spotlight before hurling himself into what looks like a front handspring. Jaehyun gasps into his sleeve as the crowd whoops appreciatively, flailing their hands in what seems to be a gesture meaning, ‘ _that was fucking cool!!!!! '_. Jaehyun tries to copy it. 

Sicheng lands in a crouch, with one hand splayed on the ground in front of him. Delicately, he threads his arm through his legs, rolling and sweeping his legs out and unravelling until Jaehyun loses track of where his limbs are. He rolls onto his back, kicking his legs into the air as he twists to catch himself in a pretzel-like position. One elbow looks to be wedged between his side and the floor, while his legs switch poses in the air.

 

After holding the position for a few seconds, Sicheng hops onto his feet like nothing ever happened. He shoots Jaehyun a devious smile and points to his mouth before melting into the crowd once more.

 

Cheeks reddening, Jaehyun realizes he’s been standing there with his jaw hanging open for far longer than is socially acceptable. He has to manually close his mouth with his hands, still stunned from the performance.

 

Sicheng, the cheeky bastard.

 

                                                                               _________________________________________________

 

 

Jaehyun continues to wander around the event space, no longer worried about straying from Taeil’s side. The older boy was right, everyone does seem pretty friendly here...aside from when they’re dancing. During cyphers or one on one battles-- a few of which he’s seen pop up around the gym-- they turn into completely different people, sharp and vicious but also playful and teasing. Outside of those weird dynamics, at the very least, no one seems to mind the awkward boy loitering around the edges of their circle.

 

That is, until a frazzled looking woman knocks into him, the myriad of items in her arms cascading to the floor. Jaehyun kneels to pick up her things before straightening up to apologize. Before he can speak, her eyes widen, gaze falling to his wrist. She snatches her materials back and huffs, marking something off on her clipboard board.

 

“Lanky legs! We’ve been looking for you all over, where have you been?!” The lady encircles his wrist, tugging sharply until she’s dragging him through the crowd. Her grip is surprisingly strong and Jaehyun stumbles helplessly after her, trying to dodge the people in his way.

 

“Lanky wh-- _huh?_ ” He splutters, focusing all his brain power on avoiding death by flying dancer. Did she just insult him?

 

He trips over someone’s foot, barely having enough time to throw out an apology as the woman forges onward. He thinks her mouth is moving, but he can’t hear anything over the thrum of the music. “What’s going on?!” He tries again, but she doesn’t turn back. In fact, she seems to speed up a bit.

 

Jaehyun bites back the panic rising at the back of his throat, ducking under an outstretched arm and deftly twisting to slot himself into a thin gap between two cyphers. He pitches forward as the woman suddenly releases him, catching himself with his hands on his knees.

 

The lady, whose name tag reads Yeri, anxiously checks her watch. She breathes a sigh of relief. “Okay, all styles begins in a minute. You’re on deck, so get ready.”

 

“I’m...what?” Jaehyun wheezes, but she’s already gone. Blearily, he begins to recognize his surroundings. He’s hunched over by the left side of the makeshift stage he saw when they first came in. The DJ’s table lays to his left, and what looks to be an emcee is lounging behind it, crowing into the microphone in his hand.

 

“Alright alright,” He drawls, arm movements wide and sweeping, “Now can I see b-girl CherrySoda and b-girl Silverblood to the stage!”

 

On cue, two girls peel away from the crowd, claiming their side of the floor. The beat the DJ puts on is rather mellow, and the two competitors begin to groove, letting their bodies adjust to the music. Jaehyun unwittingly finds himself drawn into the battle as the first girl, CherrySoda, saunters forward. Her bright pink and purple hair glints in the dim light. She’s energetic and smiley, incorporating lots of quick, sudden arm movements along with some fairly complicated footwork. She’s good at isolating parts of her body, but misses a few crucial beats. She tuts and rolls and shuffles her way over to her competitor, who’s nodding along to the music. A playful grin stretching CherrySoda’s face, she plucks at the Silverblood’s sweatshirt strings, ending her round with a harmless taunt.

 

Her opponent steps out as the girl retreats, this one taller and more intimidating. She mocks the plucking motion of her own sweatshirt strings, eliciting a laugh from the audience before jumping straight in. She dances with a good mix of sharp and fluid moves, but strays more towards the slower and sexier side as the music changes. Her movements are strong, though, and she also drops onto the floor for some traditional breaking moves. Her aura is a little more intense, more serious, and it reflects in her style.

 

Jaehyun is so enthralled in the battle, tracking the girl as she moves around the stage, that he almost doesn’t realize his gaze landing on a familiar face out in the crowd. He feels his veins run cold as he meets Taeil’s frantic eyes.

 

Oh, _fuck_.

 

“Fuckin’ fire, ladies!” The emcee shouts as the judges silently point to the winner. “Congrats b-girl Silverblood!” He peers down at the clipboard resting on the table, dramatically drawing out his next words. “Next up is b-boy Lanky Legs and b-boy BLIZZARD! Lemme see whatcha’ got!”

 

A few seconds go by without anyone on his side stepping forward, and the crowd is beginning to murmur. Jaehyun, utterly dumbfounded, can’t do much more than stare at Taeil in a panic as the people around him start to bump him forward.

 

“Lanky legs, come on! Let’s see your shit!” Jelly limbs on autopilot, the lost boy stumbles with the crowd, pulse racing as the people around him grow more agitated.

 

“ _What are you doing!”_ Taeil mouths at him, brows furrowed in confusion. He surges forward in a panic, trying to cut through the crowd to rescue Jaehyun.

 

 _“I don’t know!”_ Jaehyun mouths back, heart pounding as the crowd parts in front of him. “ _Fuck!”_

 

“Lanky legs! That’s you, right? Taeil’s new kid?” Someone from behind encourages him, pushing him forward a bit more. “Get out there!”

 

“N-no that’s not-- um, I’m not--” Jaehyun’s protests fall on deaf ears as he’s shoved to the front of the crowd, eventually spitting him out into the harsh lights. He gasps for breath, the back of his neck prickling with discomfort as blood rushes in his ears. Everything is too bright, too much.

 

Slowly, he drags his wobbly gaze up to find the most beautiful boy he’s ever seen standing across from him.

 

The world slows to a crawl.

 

Jaehyun hasn’t been in the business very long-- or, at all-- but he can tell that there’s something _different_ about this boy.

 

(The fluttering in his stomach doesn’t disagree.)

 

He’s dressed in a black jeans and a gray and red bomber jacket, and a red flannel is tied around his waist. Despite the baggy clothes, it’s obvious that he’s petite, wiry, and much smaller than Jaehyun-- though he doesn’t doubt that the boy could probably boot Jaehyun into orbit if he wanted to.

 

He kind of wouldn’t mind, honestly.

 

His eyes are bright and glittering with anticipation, jaw strong and chiseled. A snapback pulls most of his hair back, but the few strands that fall over his forehead are colored firetruck red to match the smokey eyeshadow shimmering over his eyes. His mouth is set in a firm line, body relaxed and free of any tension even though his eyebrows slant downwards in a scowl, and oh _fuck_ is that an eyebrow slit are you _fucking_ kidding--

 

“ _Give it all you got_!” The emcee hollers, and the boy begins to move without a second of hesitation. Jaehyun’s breath catches in his throat as the boy levels him with a cold glare. He slinks through the space gracefully, elegant aura directly conflicting with his aggressive, sudden movements.

 

He focuses on hip hop in the beginning, popping to the beat with small, controlled moves. Each muscle moves on its own, the wave of movement traveling up and down his body as he wills it. Jaehyun nearly chokes as the boy swivels down to the floor, ankles bending impossibly as he draws himself upwards solely through the strength in his legs. As the music begins to build to the drop, he widens his movements with large sweeps and kicks, pulling his hat over his face.

 

Covering his eyes doesn’t break the chilly spell that’s fallen over the audience, or lessen the ~~butterflies~~ intimidation swirling in Jaehyun’s stomach.

 

The boy flows through the space like he owns it, leaving no inch of stage uncovered. He’s mesmerizing, so much so that he doesn’t realize the dancer has been edging closer until his nose is inches away from his own. The audience is hollering around them, but it’s muffled to Jaehyun’s ears as the boy stares, stone faced, into his eyes.

 

To him, the two of them might as well be the only people on the planet.

 

The pitch of the music climbs, mirroring the dancer’s movements as he first rises up onto his toes, then drops back down, manually magnifying the shock wave across his whole body. He hits the beat sharply by turning his knees in, stance wide, then thrusts his hips.

 

Jaehyun _really_ chokes this time.

 

He rolls his torso next, abs flashing under his crop top as his right shoulder comes up to his ear. His elbow follows and he flings his wrist out right afterwards. The music builds more intensely as he smoothly rolls the movement from the tips of his fingers back through his arm and over to his left shoulder, which copies the sequence. Jaehyun gulps. Was he imagining things, or did the boy get even closer?

 

The music stops suddenly, and the icy boy _smirks_ at him from below the brim of his hat. Jaehyun’s heart stops beating as one thin finger flies out to flick the underside of his jaw.

 

 _His nails are painted_ , Jaehyun the useless bisexual observes as the boy steps back a pace and sets his jaw, fingers curling to his own chest. He tips his chin up, the sweat on his neck glistening as it catches the light. Dazzled, Jaehyun nearly misses him lean back ever so slightly, back curving gracefully to leave him suspended in time.

 

The beat drops, and the boy goes down _hard._

 

Arms still wrapped around his chest, he death drops to the floor as the crowd loses their minds. Jaehyun bites his bottom lip nervously, because holy fuck that looked like it _hurt_. His own muscles cry in sympathy.

 

However, the dancer seems completely unfazed, scissoring his legs in a clean kick and pulling himself into a crouch. Keeping low, he hooks one leg around the other and steps backwards, speeding up his motions until his legs fly in a blur around his body. His hands stay in nearly the same place, only switching from palm to palm to accommodate the weight shift as his legs come around in circles.

 

Then, the rhythm breaks. He pitches forward suddenly and jabs an elbow into his stomach before pushing off into the air. He lands on his back again, but this time keeps up his momentum and starts propelling himself in circles. He swivels his hips to switch from his back, to the elbow pose, and back again, tracing wide circles with his legs spread wide.

 

With a last surge of strength, the thin boy spins onto the top of his head, hands pressed firmly into the hardwood floor. He holds the position for a second before letting his feet fall back to Earth. He stands up straight, chest heaving and undershirt soaked with sweat.

 

For a moment no one dares to breathe, and then the dancer nods stonily at Jaehyun.

 

“ _Whoa_ what a fire kick-off from b-boy BLIZZARD!” The emcee shrieks, and the spell breaks. The world snaps back into color, and only with a hand pushing at his back does Jaehyun remember the situation he’s in.

 

He can’t do this. Holy fuck, he can’t do this. He isn’t supposed to be at this jam in the first place, let alone entered in this competition. Jaehyun can’t dance, he _won’t_ dance. He has to get out of this.

 

Somehow.

 

The lights are beating down on him, skin prickling under the heat. He can’t hear himself think over the rumble of the crowd, vision hazy and unfocused. It feels like there are ants under his skin, his unused muscles weak and trembling. He stumbles a little. Was it always this stuffy in here? Where did Taeil go? Jaehyun’s frenzied eyes rove the crowd, but he can’t find his roommate. All the faces melt and blur together into one expression of disappointment boring into him.

 

He needs _out._

 

Lungs squeezing painfully in his chest, Jaehyun takes a shallow breath and meets the emcee’s gaze. “Forfeit.” He gasps.

 

The emcee makes a noise of confusion and the crowd imitates it, but Jaehyun can’t see anything past the noticeable downturn of the other dancer’s lips as he angles his body away from Jaehyun.

 

“Forfeit. I forfeit, I’m sorry.” He croaks, throat cracked and dry. He’s never felt so small, so insignificant, so _helpless_. As he stares down at the floor, he notices a hat on the ground near his foot. Fingertips twitching with nervous energy, he picks it up without thinking. He’ll do anything to avoid meeting the confused stares of the people around him.

 

Jaehyun should leave, _needs_ to leave. He can’t bring himself to move, rooted to his spot in anxiety. The audience gurgles around him, but it sounds like he’s underwater.

 

Vaguely, he thinks he sees the judges point to b-boy BLIZZARD-- no surprise there-- and Jaehyun looks up to see the boy’s retreating back be swallowed up by the crowd.

 

“Jae! _”_ Someone shouts. It’s the only warning he gets before he feels hands wrap around his arm, yanking him back through the crowd. With a grunt, they push out to a clearing, and Jaehyun feels like his head has just broken the surface.

 

When he catches a glimpse of his savior, he wants to cry. “ _Taeil!_ ”

 

Taeil’s eyes are impossibly round, swirling with guilt and anger. “Holy fuck. Holy _fuck_ I am so, so sorry, Jae. I wanted you to have fun today, not get tossed to the wolves like fresh meat.” His shoulders are tense, hunching further into himself as he spots the wristband on Jaehyun’s arm. Taeil’s voice rises with anger. “Fuck, they put a competition band on you and I didn’t even notice!” Jesus christ, Jaehyun has never seen Taeil this frustrated-- or angry at all, really. It’s scary.

 

He kinda loves Taeil.

 

“It’s okay.” Jaehyun says numbly, idly fingering the wristband. “Um, it’s not your fault.”

 

Taeil bristles. “Johnny withdrew from the competition, they had no reason to do that that to y--” He cocks his head, brows meeting in confusion. “Wait, where did you get that?”

 

Jaehyun looks down to where he’s unconsciously clasping the hat to his chest. “O-Oh, uh…” He examines the design for a minute. Although the hat is a leathery black color, the design is a rather cutesy finger heart embroidered in red thread.

 

It’s b-boy BLIZZARD’s for sure, if the tiny BLIZZARD inscribed on the strap in the back is any clue. It must’ve fallen off when he dropped to the floor, and Jaehyun was too caught up in the boy to notice.

 

Not sure how to answer, Jaehyun’s gaze shifts to the side. Suddenly, a splash of red catches his attention.

 

“Jaehyun? Jae, where are you going?!”

 

Jaehyun’s legs are moving before he realizes what he’s doing, carrying him away from Taeil’s protests. All that’s beating through his mind is that he _can’t_ let this boy slip through his fingers, desperation fueling his steps. The hat crumples a bit in his sweaty hands as he rushes to catch the boy before he leaves.

 

“Hey!” He shouts, chest heaving as he lunges in front of BLIZZARD, blocking the door. Sunlight streams in from the windows behind them. Jaehyun’s heart leaps into his throat. He’s even prettier in the light, eyes shining, lips plump and red, and fists...clenched…

 

“Can I help you?” The boy says coldly, eyes narrowing. He’s perfectly composed, a black bag slung over his shoulder. With a start, Jaehyun notices there’s another figure hanging slightly behind him. He’s a little shorter than BLIZZARD, with equally sharp features and mop of black hair. He kind of looks like a cat, and the Cheshire grin stretching his face as he observes the interaction surely doesn’t help.

 

Jaehyun realizes he’s been awkwardly standing in the way for an unexplainable length of time, but he can’t get any words out. He wants to kick himself. Why did he try to chase the dude down? His mouth opens and closes like a fish.

 

“Y-Your hat.” Jaehyun offers weakly. The boy’s gaze briefly flickers down to the object in question. He looks positively uninterested.

 

“Okay...” He says cooly, sight fixed on the door past Jaehyun’s shoulder. There’s a noticeable line of tension in his shoulders, and he looks like he’d rather be anywhere but there. He avoids eye contact with Jaehyun to the best of his ability.

 

Jaehyun, on the other hand, nearly melts on the spot. His voice is soft and smooth, deeper than he would’ve expected. He sounds...shy.

 

The boy tries to shove past him again and Jaehyun counters the move on instinct, groaning internally at himself. He’s just digging himself deeper and deeper at this point.

 

Well, this is going poorly.

 

“Wait!” One frantic hand flies out to stop the boy. “Can I-- Can I see you again? Like, uh, take you somewhere?” The words spill uncontrollably out of Jaehyun’s mouth to his horror, and probably to the boy’s horror as well, if the shocked expression on his face is anything to go by.

 

Peachy.

 

The logical side of his brain is fucking _fuming_ , banging pots and pans together in a _GREAT GOING YOU PITIFUL ASSHOLE YOU’RE EMBARRASSING AND LOOK LIKE A FUCKING DESPERATE IDIOT_ type of way.

 

The dancer freezes, looking like a deer in the headlights. Jaehyun takes a break from analyzing how much money and planning it would take to fake his own death and escape to another country to acknowledge that _fuck,_ the dude’s big surprised doe eyes are really, really cute, even if they’re currently bugging out of his head.

 

He looks almost flustered for a moment, pink tingeing his cheeks and cute front teeth nibbling at his bottom lip. The boy behind BLIZZARD prods at him, and Jaehyun watches as he jumps, the emotion behind his eyes abruptly changing. He closes himself off, throwing up his steely walls again, and clenches his jaw. He looks like he’s fighting a war in his mind.

 

“Please?”

 

Jaehyun can kind of relate.

 

“Beat me in a battle, then we’ll talk.” The boy spits. A hint of surprise at his own words crosses his face before he schools his expression into one of apathy. Seeing an opening, he finally shoulders his way past as the breath whooshes out of a stunned Jaehyun’s chest.

 

The dude following him is cackling maniacally, playfully slugging Jaehyun on the arm. “I like the guts on this one! ‘Atta boy!” He crows, and the two disappear into the mass of people outside the venue.

 

Jaehyun staggers to the wall a few paces over, feeling like he’s been thrown completely off-kilter. What was that? What did he just _do_? He doesn’t even know the guy.

 

 _Did I just score myself a chance?_ He swallows shallowly, one hand coming up to massage his temples. Distantly, he notices a shape approach him, snagging the front of his jacket.

 

“We’re getting out of here.” Taeil doesn’t give him any room to protest--not that he would-- as he drags him out to the car. The fresh air feels heavenly on his sweaty skin, and Jaehyun greedily gulps it in. A strange feeling churns in his chest as he realizes he’s still cradling BLIZZARD’s hat to his chest.

 

“You have a one track mind, I swear to God.” Taeil gripes as they pull away from the gym. Jaehyun can’t help but agree as he stares out the window, replaying BLIZZARD’s words in his head.

 

_Beat me in a battle, then we’ll talk._

 

He absentmindedly traces the raindrops as they begin to slide down the window, ignoring the sound of Taeil flicking on the rusty old windshield wipers. He looks up, his own small smile reflected back to him in the blotted glass.

 

_Beat me in a battle._

 

Jaehyun’s nothing if not up for a challenge.

 

                                                                               _________________________________________________

 

 

“Heard our little Casanova got himself into a pickle!” Donghyuck snickers as he crashes his tray into the table the next day. Jaehyun wants to drown himself in his mashed potatoes; ‘family dinners’, as Kun insists on calling them, are always insufferable with his friends.

 

“Yeah!” Mark leans over the table, a wide grin stretched across his face. He’s clearly feeding off Donghyuck’s contagious chaotic energy, and Jaehyun wants to die. “How in the world did you end up entered in a breaking competition!”

 

“That’s what I want to know.” Jaehyun mutters darkly, stabbing a little harder than necessary at his orange chicken.

 

“It’s my fault, sorry.” A new voice cuts into the commotion. Jaehyun looks up to the source...and up...and up. Holy shit, this dude must be at least eight feet tall. He’s got black hair that falls into his face, cut at an angle that shows off the undercut lurking underneath. Dressed in a black and white striped shirt and black jeans, he looks like a Tik Tok e-boy.

 

Not that Jaehyun is really complaining.

 

“Johnny!” Taeil greets the newcomer warmly, patting the space besides him. Johnny takes it gladly, setting down his dinner. Curiously, it’s just a bowl of shredded cheese.

 

Honestly, Jaehyun’s seen weirder things from college. Just last week he had to help Donghyuck to bed after he got piss drunk at a party on another campus. The skinny boy somehow climbed through the third story window of one of the dorms and crash landed on a bed with nothing but a plate of chicken nuggets-- not counting the flask of fireball lodged in the waistband of his short shorts. Jaehyun, admittedly tipsy, had to wrestle him out of the room and back to their own dorm before anyone caught him.

 

It was a long night for both of them, not that they remember much.

 

Jaehyun is pulled out of his musings by Lucas whispering conspiratorially to Mark, which is code for hollering at the top of his lungs across the dining hall.

 

“No, seriously, man.” Lucas sticks another forkful of beef into his mouth. His eyes roam the room nervously, as if he’s afraid he’s being monitored. “I really think Renjun is immortal. He called me and Jeno ‘finite people’ the other day.”

 

“Maybe he just hates you.” Mark quips through a mouthful of food, dipping his spoon back into his cereal bowl of M&M’s.

 

“He’s dating Jeno though.” Lucas frowns.

 

“Yeah, but he’s not dating _you_ , right?”

 

Lucas looks down at himself in horror, gasping. “Oh God, I don’t think so? He’s already got like, two or three boyfriends? What if I’m next?!”

 

Unsurprisingly, a hand shoots out of nowhere and latches around Lucas’s neck. The boy half screams before another hand presses into his mouth. “We’ll be right back.” Renjun smiles ~~scarily~~ sweetly, pinching Lucas as he drags the boy away.

 

“Pour one out for my homie Luke.” Mark says solemnly, flicking one lonely M&M after the pair.

 

“Nothing’s wrong with him, he’s just ‘boutta die at the tiny hands of Renjun.” Donghyuck wipes a fake tear from his eye as he dumps his entire glass of chocolate milk into Mark’s bowl. “Pour one out indeed.”

 

Taeil smiles awkwardly at Johnny, who’s just sitting there with his string cheese untouched. “I’d say they aren’t normally like this, but um…”

 

Johnny, to their surprise ~~and relief~~ , laughs. “Nah, it’s all good. Anyways, I really wanted to apologize to you.” He turns to Jaehyun, who promptly chokes on his chicken.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Yeah. Something came up and I had to pull out of the competition last minute. I thought they took my name off the list, but it must have been too short notice and didn’t go through. It was supposed to be my first competition, so it’s not like they knew who I was. Just that I knew Taeil.” Johnny starts to eat his cheese, one piece at a time.

 

Jaehyun didn’t know it was possible for someone to look so guilty while grazing string cheese from their palm. He groans as the pieces start to fall into place. “So when people saw me come in with Taeil, they assumed I was you...”

 

Johnny winces at him. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I should’ve been more careful.”

 

“No, it’s okay.” Jaehyun’s mouth curves into a small smile because really, it is.

 

He hasn’t been able to stop thinking about the dancer from the other night-- it’s like his sharp features and alluring eyes follow Jaehyun everywhere he goes. Walking to class, he nearly tripped down the stairs because he caught a glimpse of someone with bright red hair. It wasn’t the boy he was looking for, but it sent jolts of excitement down his spine anyways.

 

Jaehyun isn’t so vain to only be attracted to the boy’s appearance, however. The way he danced with his whole being was ethereal. His focus, strength, and endurance draws Jaehyun in the more he thinks about it.

 

Then-- their run-in. The way the dancer dropped his guard for a second, a slight blush splashed across his cheeks. How his fingers played nervously with the loose threads of his shirt, betraying his true self. He’s not as ice cold as his name implies, Jaehyun is sure of it.

 

He just wants to get to know him, to find out for sure.

 

That’s all.

 

Johnny lets out a low whistle. “Damn, I’m kind of glad I dropped, though. I can’t believe I would’ve been facing BLIZZARD, of all people!”

 

Taeil laughs into his fruit cubes. “Yeah, Taeyong’s skills are nothing to scoff at.”

 

“T-Taeyong?” Jaehyun spits his food all over his plate, making Kun grimace his signature Disappointed Dad Look at him.

 

Everyone around him keeps talking, but it’s all lost on Jaehyun as his mind catches on the one word. The rest of the world is drowned out by the voice in his head.

 

_Taeyong. Taeyong. Taeyong._

 

Taeil looks at him weirdly. “Uh, yeah? BLIZZARD’s real name is Taeyong. He's from the Knockout Aces, he's really good. You went up against him, remember?”

 

_Oh, I remember._

 

“I just, uh, didn’t think you knew his real name, is all. Caught me off guard.” Jaehyun mumbles weakly.

 

“Of course? We aren’t superheroes, you know. There’s no need to keep any secret identities.” Taeil strikes up a conversation with Kun about the Byzantine Empire homework due next week, and Jaehyun is left to his thoughts.

 

So the mystery boy’s name is Taeyong, huh.

 

He likes the way it rolls off his tongue.

 

_Taeyong._

 

He doesn’t realize he’s spoken out loud until Johnny looks at him sideways. Lucas has mysteriously reappeared with most of his limbs intact, and he’s squinting at him.

 

“Dude are you like, in love or something? You look weird.” Lucas pokes at his cheek.

 

“‘M not in love,” Jaehyun protests, eyes wide as the table erupts in laughter. “I’m _not_ , I swear it!”

 

                                                                               _________________________________________________

 

 

“I think I’m in love.” Jaehyun moans into the slightly sticky table of the campus library.

 

“Bullshit.” Taeil retorts without looking up from his textbook. “You haven’t said anything about a crush, and you don’t believe in love at first sight.”

 

Jaehyun scowls as he lifts his head, a crumpled bit of paper stuck to his sweaty forehead. There’s a stray pencil snarled in his hair, pen ink smudged on his cheek. “I do too. I’m the resident Disney prince, how can I not?”

 

Across the table, Mark looks like he wants to throw up into his essay. Well, he kinda just looks like that anyways. “Please, I’m begging you to never describe yourself that way again. Really.” He looks panicked as Jaehyun opens his mouth. “I’ll give you real human dollars, just _please_ shut up.”

 

Taeil pushes his wire frames a little further up his nose, softly turning the page of his book. After a few beats of silence, he looks up with an expectant eyebrow raised. “So?”

 

“What?”

 

The older man sighs, putting his book away. “I know you. I don’t believe you mean half of the stuff you moan and groan about, but I know you wouldn’t say it without a reason.” He nudges at the forlorn boy a bit. “So, what’s up?”

 

Jaehyun leans back in his chair, gazing up at the musty ceiling. The weekend is approaching, meaning it’s been almost a week since the competition. Jaehyun hasn’t forgotten BLI-- _Taeyong’s_ words, but he doesn’t know what to do about it.

 

He can’t dance, plain and simple. His _only_ chance at getting to know the mysterious boy is to win a battle against him, but how can he do that with zero coordination or coaching? For God’s sake, Taeyong is probably one of the best b-boys around, except for…

 

_Man, Eclipse is like, the best b-boy on this side of the country._

 

Jaehyun shoots up in his chair, a grin forming on his lips as his eyes light up with an idea. He may not have BLIZZARD’s years of dance experience and wisdom, but he knows someone who does.

 

He twirls the pen in his hand.

 

_Beat me in a battle, then we’ll talk._

 

                                                                               _________________________________________________

 

 

“I need you to teach me how to dance.”

 

If Moon Taeil was any less the man he is, he would have made fun of Jaehyun, who stands there with the words _I don’t dance and I never will_ burning bitterly on his tongue.

 

(Yuta, however, is not the man Taeil is and therefore roasts him for all the world to see.)

 

                                                                               _________________________________________________

 

 

To say Jaehyun is terrified would be a gross understatement.

 

It’s nearing ten o’clock, which marks the end of the time period for campus groups to reserve the multipurpose room. How Taeil got them in anyways is beyond him. Jaehyun tries not to ask questions.

 

“So, breaking has three forms to it.” Taeil paces by the mirrors at the front of the room as he talks. “There’s toprock, which is what you do standing up. It’s all the hip hop and fancy footwork stuff, with a bunch of quick steps and shuffling. Footwork consists of all the moves you do on the ground, building off that crouch position you probably saw a lot at the jam. Lastly, there’s power, which is the acrobatic and gymnastic side to breaking. There’s other styles that fall under the more general hip hop dance category-- like tutting, popping, waacking, and other stuff, but I won’t overwhelm you with that just yet.”

 

“Too late.” Jaehyun says, head already swimming at the information. The fan creaking in the corner of the room does little to dispel the stuffy air.

 

Once again, what the fuck is he getting himself into?

 

He shifts uncomfortably in his ratty sneakers, copying Taeil as the boy drops into a squat. Holy fuck, he’s actually doing this.

 

“Uhh, I guess we can start with the various steps? So, the coffee grinder is up first.” Taeil sticks his left leg out to the side, leaning forward with his palms on the ground to keep his balance.

 

“The what?”

 

“Oh. Right, so the most common foundation of footwork is based on steps one through twelve. We can start from the one step and work our way up, or just go straight for the six step because that’s the basic template for the four, five, and seven steps.” Taeil’s practically mumbling to himself at this point as he demonstrates his words.

 

Jaehyun’s headache worsens, not really catching any of the flurried movements. Anxiety swirls in his gut, but he tries to mask it with a smile. “Whatever you think is best, teach.”

 

“Okay. We’ll work on the six step, then.” Taeil shows him how to keep his balance in the squat, and tells him to hook his left leg around the right. Calves trembling, he manages to follow, leaning his body weight on his left hand. His right foot steps back and his left foot follows soon after, right palm meeting the ground to land him in a wide legged push up stance.

 

“Good! Now thread your right leg through, no-- the other way. Better!” Taeil coaches him through it. “Step the left foot in close. No, close to your knee. Wrong side Jae, focus on me for a second.”

 

With a tremendous effort, Jaehyun manages to sweep his right leg back around to the original crouched position. He pants, looking up at Taeil for approval. The older man grins at him.

 

“Not bad! Now, let’s go through it again. Hook, back, out, cross, in, around. One, two, three, four, five, six.” He keeps counting as Jaehyun steps through each move, gradually warming up to the motion.

 

It’s not quite as hard as he thought.

 

It’s far from easy, if the burning sensation in his muscles is anything to go by, but it certainly isn’t impossible. Jaehyun hasn’t really gotten into the right rhythm, but the steps themselves just require a little strength and balance.

 

Maybe he can do this.

 

“Let’s go again!”

 

As it turns out, some of the other steps really aren’t too far off the one move he knows-- just a hop instead of two steps here, an extra twist there. After an hour straight practicing the six step and its siblings until they’re fast and clean, Jaehyun collapses to the ground. Taeil, working on some of his own stuff, also flops down. He silently rolls a water bottle Jaehyun’s way, who greedily gulps from it.

 

“Hey, I know breaking is exhausting-- especially when you haven’t built up the stamina yet. Do you want to call it for the night?” Jaehyun cranes his neck towards Taeil, who’s looking at him with concern marring his features.

 

_Beat me in a battle, then we’ll talk._

 

“Nope!” Jaehyun rocks himself back up, ignoring the ache in his thighs. He stretches dramatically, one arm arching over his head. “It’s light work!”

 

Taeil’s worry gives way to a small smile at the boy’s dedication. “Alright, I guess we can go back to the coffee grinder. As a kid, did you ever play with one of those toys where you loop a ball on a string around your ankle and try to jump over it? It’s the same idea...”

 

The clock ticks past one am to the melody of heavy breathing and sneakers pounding the floor.

 

                                                                               _________________________________________________

 

 

The questions come eventually.

 

Jaehyun knew it was inevitable, but at the same time a small part of him was wishing no one would ever bring it up. He was hoping to just train as hard as he could, absorb all the information out there, and master breaking without anyone prying into _why_.

 

It’s a mighty awkward story, after all. What if Taeyong wasn’t being serious, and just said that to get Jaehyun off his back? He wouldn’t blame Taeyong in the slightest; he was being pretty creepy, after all.

 

Even so, he’s holding out hope that coming back into the scene with training under his belt, proving his drive and dedication, might make Taeyong reconsider.

 

~~Plus, he can’t stop thinking about the pleased flush on Taeyong’s skin, the tiny smile that peeked out before he freaked out and shut down. He can’t be imagining things, right?~~

 

To anyone else, it may seem like a pipe dream.

 

To Jaehyun, it’s worth the shot.

 

(His only shot.)

 

It happens late one night, half a week after their first practice session. Jaehyun and Taeil had been practicing together for the last few days in a row, but took the day off to take care of some homework that was piling up.

 

Curled up on his bed in a cobalt blue Snuggie, Taeil pauses his flipped classroom video with a sigh. “Jaehyunnie.”

 

Jaehyun hums, filling his SHINee mug with hot chocolate from their totally-dorm-safe Keurig that they definitely don’t have to hide in the closet during room inspections. “What’s up?”

 

“Why did you suddenly want to try breaking?”

 

Jaehyun chokes on the nectar of the Gods, splattering it down his shirt. “Uh.”

 

“I mean!” Taeil extracts himself from the unholy blanket nest forming on his bed. Jaehyun swears he can see some of his own blankets caught up in it. “Not that I’m not happy to teach you, or that I’m not excited to show off my hobby. Just...why now? Especially after the fiasco at that jam? I thought that would’ve scared you far away.”

 

Jaehyun laughs nervously, setting his mug down on his desk. “Aha, about that. I may have...uhh...made a bet with b-boy BLIZZARD…?” His voice trails off uncertainly.

 

“You _what._ ”

 

“I um, ran after him? And asked if I could take him out sometime. He said I’d have to win a battle against him first. So now I’m training.” Jaehyun idly tears at one of the scrap pages from his last fluid mechanics assignment, flicking the bits of paper into the trash.

 

Taeil groans into his hands. “No fucking way. Ignoring the fact that Taeyong is, like, one of the best b-boys in the country, he’s probably the _shyest_ dude ever. He keeps to himself, with the exception of his crew. No one knows what he’s really like beyond the man he is on the stage.” He squints at Jaehyun. “Is he really why you’re going through all this work…? You don’t even know him.”

 

Jaehyun sighs and launches himself onto his bed. “Yeah, that’s the problem. I _don’t_ know him, but when I saw him out there I felt-- I felt something, okay? It didn’t feel like my first time meeting him. He was amazing and talented and hard working and I just...Ugh, I can’t stop thinking about him. I want to know what his favorite food is, how his eyes crinkle when he laughs, if he’s a cat person or a dog person. I want to hear what makes him tick, want to hear his theories on the universe, want to comfort him when he feels down. I want to know if he takes his coffee sweet or bitter, if he prefers picnics or amusement parks, how he smiles when he gets excited.”

 

Jaehyun’s eyes roam the ceiling, finding comfort in the glow in the dark stars they put up when they moved in. “I want to get to know him, especially if no one has ever had the guts to try. I think...I think there’s more to him than a stage persona.”

 

“...Holy _fuck,_ you’re greasy.”

 

“Shut up!” Jaehyun whines, pelting Taeil with one of his throw pillows. The joke is on him, though, because once anything remotely cuddly is in Taeil’s grasp he’s not getting it back. ~~Maybe that’s why he hasn’t seen Yuta in a while~~.

 

Taeil throws a packet of mini marshmallows back at him, smiling softly as Jaehyun rips it open and pours half into his cup, half into his mouth. “You know I support you, right? RePlay is coming up soon, hosted by the Independents.” His fingers trail thoughtfully along the ridges of the Red Velvet stickers lining his laptop. “Taeyong is sure to be there. If you want...I can train you with that in mind.”

 

“For real?” Warmth floods Jaehyun’s insides. Man, even after Taeil found out Jaehyun was only making an effort towards his hobby for a boy, he still wants to help?

 

No one deserves Moon Taeil.

 

Taeil shrugs. “I, um, can’t promise I’ll be the best teacher, but I love you and I love what I do. Can’t think of anything better than combining the two, hey?” He cringes at himself. “Sorry, I’m not really the best with words. Just know I don’t mind helping you out. It might be nice to see someone break past Taeyong’s walls...I’ve never seen anyone try.”

 

“Thanks, Taeil.” Jaehyun chokes out, a lump forming in his throat. “Now, get over here and let’s watch some My Hero Academia, shall we?”

 

“Fuck no, dude. You’re coming over here, _I’m_ the one with the blanket nest.”

 

“Are badass breakers even supposed to watch anime?”

 

“Oh, honey. You’ve got a lot to learn.”

 

                                                                               _________________________________________________

 

 

“How was that?” Jaehyun wheezes, bracing his hands against his knees. “Did I do it?”

 

Taeil smiles awkwardly as he runs his hand over his undercut. “Um, kind of.”

 

Jaehyun’s mouth twists up in a sour frown. He plops heavily to the ground, muscles burning as he reaches for his water bottle. God, this shit hurts. “So...that’s a no. What did I do wrong?”

 

Taeil’s mouth hangs open soundlessly for a few seconds. “Well. I think when you hook your leg around, um.” Giving up on words, Taeil tries to demonstrate a few more times. He performs several beautiful, fluid moves as Jaehyun stares at him dumbly. Taeil cringes. “It’s easier to...Uhh--”

 

“Stay off your palms.” A strong voice cuts through Taeil’s nervous chatter.

 

Jaehyun turns his chin towards the back of the room. A slender figure leans against the door frame, shrouded in shadows. He steps into the dim light studio lights, shaking his shaggy black fringe out of his face.

 

With a start, Jaehyun realizes he knows the intruder. It’s the same boy who was hanging around Taeyong when they had their...run in. He must be Taeyong’s crewmate. What’s he doing on their campus?

 

“Ten! Man, what a cinematic entrance.” Taeil greets the man warmly. “You’ve always had a flair for the dramatic.”

 

Ten throws a cheeky grin and a peace sign to Taeil before sauntering over to Jaehyun’s side, snatching the boy’s wrist. “See this?” He traces over the skin on Jaehyun’s palms. “If you lean all your body weight on your palms, it’s going to slow you down. It’ll hurt at first, but try to only use from the knuckle up on each finger.” He taps each of Jaehyun’s fingertips.

 

Jaehyun opens and closes his hand for a few moments, staring down at the reddening digits. “Huh.”

 

Ten brushes his hands together, standing up. “Yup. Also, stay on the balls of your feet during footwork. If you keep your center of gravity over your ankles and not sag backwards like you’re a fucking crab, you’ll be able to move a lot faster and it won’t be so hard to catch your balance.” Ten’s lip curls up a bit in disgust. “And for the love of _G_ _od,_ get some proper gear! You look like you’re heading to a goddamn board meeting!”

 

Jaehyun looks down sadly at his salmon colored button down, brown khakis, and sandals. Oh.

 

“Not to sound like an ungrateful bitch, but why are you here? Aren’t you Taeyong’s dance partner, or something?” Jaehyun tilts his head in confusion. Why would Ten want to help Jaehyun win?

 

Ten huffs out a laugh, tipping his head back to rest against the cool glass mirror. “Yeah, but Taeyong’s been a whiny, lonely little shit for far too long now. I’d love to see him get some action so he can stop complaining about how much he wants to be dommed.”

 

“‘I did not need to know that.” Taeil wrinkles his nose.

 

“Plus.” Ten playfully shoves Taeil to the side. “B-boy Eclipse here is a fantastic dancer, but doesn’t know how to explain for shit past the basic breakdown of moves. It’s all ‘instinct’ or whatever with these prodigies. And you…” He looks Jaehyun up and down, eyes narrowing critically. “You need all the help you can get.”

 

Jaehyun mockingly salutes him. “Aye aye, boss.”

 

Ten claps his hands. “Now let’s get rid of those two left feet, shall we?”

 

__________________________

 

Freezes are fucking _terrifying._

 

Ten launches into a whole spiel about how a freeze is really any move where you strike a pose and hold it-- it could be pausing in the middle of footwork or hitting the beat during toprock. However, the most common freezes refer to crazy yoga-like moves that require an insane amount of strength and balance to stick.

 

Jaehyun doesn’t care about everything Ten is rambling on about regarding how freezes are really just a motion you have to get used to. Not everyone is a twig like Ten who can probably bench press twice his body weight.

 

“Stretch your wrists really well, then slowly rock yourself up. It should come from the waist.” Ten demonstrates, immediately sweeping his legs up into a hang glide freeze, his elbow sticking deep into his stomach. Jaehyun blinks dumbly at him.

 

“No fucking way.”

 

“Don’t be like that. It’s not too hard, your mind is just getting in the way of your body. Trust yourself, trust me, and for the love of everything pure and holy please only put your temple on the ground, not your whole fucking forehead.” Ten flicks at him.

 

They’ve grown oddly close over the last few weeks. Jaehyun still doesn’t know how Ten gets into the studio at night, but he’s learned to not ask questions. He wouldn’t be surprised if the dude scaled the outside of the building like a spider.

 

He’s often better off not knowing when it comes to Ten.

 

He’s eternally grateful that Ten has come to help train him. Though he would protect and die for Moon Taeil unconditionally, Ten was right-- a lot of his skill comes from natural talent that Jaehyun just doesn’t have. He can’t ‘feel the beat’ and ‘just move to it.” Ten, while no doubt naturally talented as well, likely has more teaching experience and is able to pinpoint specific things Jaehyun is doing wrong, like an off-center distribution of weight or having bent legs instead of straight.

 

After a while, Jaehyun does find himself mastering a few freezes. The stab freeze isn’t too bad once Ten helped hold his legs in the air to let him get an idea of what it was supposed to feel like. He eventually got the shoulder freeze as well. Though, it was extremely painful because nearly all his body weight was carried by one point on one shoulder, along with one supporting hand.

 

Taeil slipped out early from tonight’s practice, a frown pulling at his lips as he told Jaehyun about his huge biological anthropology exam coming up. Jaehyun doesn’t blame him in the slightest-- Taeil’s been looking stressed these days, and Jaehyun would much rather have him focus on himself and his coursework than worry about silly Jaehyun’s dance abilities.

 

Jaehyun’s often been coming home late to Taeil passed out at his desk, gently putting him to bed and setting his alarm early so he can finish up whatever homework he fell asleep doing.

 

As such, it’s only Ten and Jaehyun lingering in the studio until ungodly hours of the morning. Ten’s in the middle of helping Jaehyun practice handstands against the wall in order to prepare him for headstands and headspins.

 

If you told Jaehyun a month ago that he’d be training until three in the morning to learn how to spin on the top of his head, he would have laughed in your face.

 

Ah, the way the world works.

 

They take a break from handstands after Jaehyun’s arms start to tremble. Ten is strolling around the room to cool down, not wanting his muscles to seize up.

 

“RePlay is in about three weeks.” He says, scrolling through his phone. “It’s probably not enough time to teach you many power moves. Hm...we can focus on polishing your skillset and putting moves together into a set for you to practice. We can work on windmills eventually, though, if you’re still interested in breaking after the jam.”

 

Jaehyun mumbles his assent into the floor, mostly focused on the deep ache in his muscles. He’s never pushed himself like this before, but it feels kind of nice. It’s an escape from everything else clouding his mind.

 

He doesn’t realize Ten has stopped pacing until his sneakers stop in Jaehyun’s limited field of vision.

 

“Speaking of RePlay…” Ten sits down next to him, folding his legs delicately. Jaehyun props himself up to give the boy his full attention. “Why are you doing all this?”

 

“Huh? Taeyong and I made a...deal. Of sorts.” Jaehyun scratches uncomfortably at the corner of his mouth. “I thought you knew that? Isn’t that why you’re helping me?”

 

“Yeah, just…I hope you know what you’re getting into.” Ten makes a frustrated noise, letting his head hang back for a few seconds. Jaehyun is acutely aware of the film of sweat coating his own body, though the heavy air between them likely has nothing to do with the heat. “Taeyong is soft. Like, he looks scary on the dance floor, but he’s _really_ soft-hearted.”

 

Jaehyun hums.

 

“He’s too nice, to the point where he can’t tell when people are toxic to him. He gives-- or, gave-- second chances, third chances, fourth chances, so on and so forth until I had to step in and tell people to back off. He’s been hurt so many times in the past that he doesn’t even try to talk to people anymore. He may seem closed off, but I promise you he has such a good, _good_ heart.”

 

Ten’s mischievous demeanor drops more and more as he talks. Jaehyun can tell that this is the raw Ten, the boy hiding underneath all the snark and confidence. “He wanted to talk to you, you know? The day of the jam, when you ran after him. He didn’t want to come off as mean or scary, he was just shy and flustered and didn’t know how to handle the situation. Don’t…don’t misunderstand him, okay?” Ten wilts.

 

“I want to get to know him.” Jaehyun ventures, not sure how Ten will take it. He knows how protective Ten is of the other boy, but surely he must be doing something right if Ten has been willing to help him...? He obviously wouldn’t be rooting for Jaehyun to win if he had any doubts about Taeyong’s willingness, or doubts about Jaehyun in general. “I don’t want to hurt him, I swear, and I don’t want to force him to do anything he doesn’t want to do.”

 

_I just want to learn everything about him, sweep him up in my arms and protect him from everyone and everything that would dare hurt him._

 

“I don’t think Taeyong expected you to take him up on the bet.” Ten giggles to the ceiling. “I mean, who would? Breaking is an insane amount of work and has a steep learning curve for plenty of people. I’ve seen lots of prospective breakers drop as soon as they can’t do a baby freeze on the first try. It shows a lot about you that you’re willing to try this out for him.”

 

Jaehyun adjusts the spin cap on his head, not sure how to respond. He’s really grateful that Ten feels comfortable divulging this information to him, though anger floods his veins at whoever hurt Taeyong badly enough to make him scared of the world. “I want to make this work. I don’t mind a challenge.”

 

“I like you, Jaehyun,” Ten’s grin is back as his voice darkens a bit, “...but if you hurt Taeyong, I won’t hesitate to shove thumbtacks in every inch of your skin I can reach.”

 

Jaehyun swallows hard. “Noted.”

 

                                                                               _________________________________________________

 

 

“Dude, do you have a rash or something?” Yuta says, startling Jaehyun out of his thoughts.

 

“What?”

 

“You were, like. Wiggling.” He makes a vague hand gesture, and Jaehyun flushes to the tips of his ears.

 

Jaehyun’s picked up a habit of dancing absolutely everywhere he goes, completely unaware of what he’s doing. Waiting in line for coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts, he’s quietly stepping through his favorite toprock move, the Indian step. Studying at the library, he’s practicing leaning his weight on his hands without touching his palms to the table.

 

Currently, he’s standing outside his structural analysis lecture hall, waiting to take a short exam. In his head he’d been running over the differences between all the footwork steps, not even realizing he was acting them out while standing, feet tracing circles around the hallway.

 

Jaehyun never saw himself as a dancer, but now he can feel the way dance has threaded its way through his life. Even after RePlay, no matter what happens with Taeyong, he doesn’t want to lose this. He doesn’t want to lose the late night bonding with Ten, finally understanding all the terms Taeil throws around, or the freedom that comes with dancing your soul away.

 

It feels like he’s found a part of himself.

 

He’s been working hard, putting mini sets together in his mind to see what moves would look nice together, what would be easy to transition between and how he could adapt it to his own style. A large part of breaking lies in the ability to improvise based on the music you happen to get, but it’s always a good idea to have a few base sets to work with and strive for musicality from there. It’s especially helpful for a newbie like Jaehyun to memorize combinations beforehand, to reduce the chances of him floundering on stage.

 

There’s certainly something to be said for muscle memory.

 

Jaehyun’s really uncovered a love for toprock and footwork-- he likes the flavor and attitude you can mix with the two forms, and also the multiple ways available to change up the moves. Even just adding a little pause during a six step is dynamic, and if it’s synced up with the music well, it can make a big impact on the audience.

 

You can’t really mess with a backflip too much before you just crash.

 

“Hey, I’m starting to sign people up for RePlay.” Taeil plops down next to him. They’re in the studio yet again, Jaehyun trying out some of his hypothetical sets that he’s been scribbling down when he totally should’ve been taking notes in fluid mechanics. Oh well.

 

“It’s next week, right?” Jaehyun expects the familiar pang of anxiety to shoot through him, but he just feels excited. He’s been training hard, and he can’t wait to show that off.

 

He can’t wait to see Taeyong.

 

“Yeah. The thing is, I need to register you with b-boy name. Any ideas?”

 

“A what now?”

 

Taeil sighs, angling his laptop towards Jaehyun. He’s got a spreadsheet open, titled _NEO CITY ROCKERS - REPLAY JAM 2019_. He recognizes NEO CITY ROCKERS as the name of Taeil’s crew, which means the list of bizarre, seemingly unrelated words underneath must be his crew members that are signing up to compete in the jam. Jaehyun scans the document, chewing his lip. He never even considered that he’d have to get a breaker name.

 

He voices as much. “How did you come up with your name, Taeil?”

 

Taeil hums, leaning back. “Well, breaker names come from different places for different people. Sometimes it’s a nickname you acquire based on something you said or a particular move that becomes your signature. Sometimes it’s a little deeper than that, a reflection of your personality. Other times people just pick words they think sound dope or that might fit them. If your breaking community doesn’t give you your name, they’ll usually have to approve it. I mean, there’s no law against it, but breaking is such a close knit, community oriented art form that you generally want validation from other breakers. That’s why I’m _so_ desperately trying to get Johnny to ditch the name Lanky Legs.”

 

“That’s cool and all, but you’re avoiding my question.” Jaehyun says plainly as Taeil flushes red.

 

“He got the name Eclipse because when he broke onto the scene, he eclipsed every other dancer out there with his talent.” Ten pokes Taeil in the forehead. “He’s just too damn modest about it.”

 

“No, it’s because my surname is Moon.” Taeil protests, mouth pulling into a cute pout.

 

“That’s only _part_ of the reason, and you know it.”

 

“What about you, Ten? What’s your b-boy name?” Jaehyun turns the spotlight on the other boy, noticing how Taeil was fidgeting under the scrutiny.

 

“My crew members gave me the name Supaflex.” Ten smiles proudly, jabbing at his own chest.

 

“Why’s that?”

 

Ten raises his arms above his head and promptly drops into a full split, making Jaehyun kind of want to cry at the way he hits the ground. “Ah...I see.” He struggles not to cringe at how Ten’s body just _folded_ like that. Does he own any bones at all?

 

“Yeah, in my case my name had less to do with my personality and more to do with my dance style.” Ten rolls casually into a split on the other side, and Jaehyun’s pretty sure a tear actually slips out of his own eye this time. “I like incorporating a lot of traditional hip hop and bendy gymnastics moves in with my footwork, and it became a unique flavor for me. The other thing I flex is my stunningly good looks.”

 

“I can’t...think of anything special about my style. Or anything that fits my personality.” Jaehyun frowns, ignoring Ten’s comments.

 

“That’s okay, I can just register you as Jae for now. You don’t have to force it, but try to keep it in mind, okay? Trust me, it’s so nice to click with a stage name.” A dreamy smile forms on Taeil’s lips. “You really feel like you’re part of the community. I mean, you are regardless of any stage name, but man...the feeling of _belonging_ is something I wouldn’t trade for the world.”

 

“And you call _me_ the cheeseball.” Jaehyun teases, but inwardly his heart warms at the words.

 

Belonging.

 

                                                                               _________________________________________________

 

 

“You ready? We’re gonna be late!”

 

Jaehyun’s bag slams against his back. He’s halfway out the door when he sees it, resting innocently on his nightstand. He hesitates for a split second, before Taeil’s calls for him from outside shock him into action, snatching it and booking it outside.

 

Taeil does a double take as Jaehyun flings himself into the car, the poor vehicle groaning under the force.

 

“Jaehyun, your hat--”

 

“Just drive, Taeilie.”

 

                                                                               _________________________________________________

 

 

Stepping out of the car isn’t nearly as terrifying the second time around.

 

Taeil rubs Jaehyun’s shoulders to calm him down a bit before they go inside, but Jaehyun quickly realizes that he doesn’t even need the assurance. He greets Wonho warmly at the door, laughing along as the tall guy-- who is just as much of an energetic puppy as Taeil claimed him to be-- jokes around with Taeil.

 

The venue is different, but the atmosphere is the same as they wade through the crowds. This time, Jaehyun feels the music thrumming pleasantly under his skin, not throbbing through his head like before. He even recognizes a few of the songs as classic breaking songs from the playlist Taeil always puts on during their sessions.

 

“Are you good if I...uh...” Taeil asks him hesitantly, pointing at one of the cyphers. While not nearly as overwhelmed as his first jam, Jaehyun is still a little reluctant to let go of his main tie to the community-- he can’t help but flashback to where it landed him last time.

 

However, one look at the man who’s literally bouncing on the balls of his feet, muscles itching to go out and dance, and Jaehyun caves, waving him off.

 

“I’ll be fine. For real, this time.” He amends quickly, happiness washing over him at the grateful smile that breaks like the dawn over Taeil’s face. The tiny man immediately immerses himself in the cypher next to them, and Jaehyun wanders off on his own.

 

As it turns out, jams are a lot less intimidating when he can pick out moves that he recognizes or even are a part of his own repertoire. Peering into the cypher next to him, Jaehyun starts examining the current center b-boy’s set.

 

_Twelve step, swipe, swipe, kick out, modified elbow freeze, headstand transition, worm, four step, knee wrap, sweep, backrock, headspin, end._

 

There were plenty of moves that he could vaguely pick up on, but were obviously modified or freestyled to the point of almost becoming new moves entirely. It’s fascinating-- rather than simply seeing an impressive blob of movement and limbs flying, Jaehyun can now see the intricacies of the sets, the beauty of moves reinvented and the unique way each breaker approaches similar moves. He watches in awe as the b-boy calls to some friends in the crowd, the three of them launching into a well-choreographed routine.

 

“Enjoying yourself?” Ten appears by Jaehyun’s side, scaring the shit out of him.

 

“Yeah.” Jaehyun says when he recovers himself, because he honestly is. “Does Taeyong…?”

 

“Nah, he doesn’t know you’re here. He doesn’t know anything, actually.”

 

Jaehyun’s eyebrows furrow. “So he _doesn’t_ know that you’ve been sneaking off to another campus basically every night for the past two months?”

 

Ten gives him a shit-eating grin, striking the fear of God into him. “No, he knows that much.”

 

 _Better off not to ask questions with Ten_ , Jaehyun reminds himself, a little rattled as he turns back to the cypher. Conversations with Ten always end with that feeling, though.

 

The red wristband feels comforting this time, instead of suffocating as Jaehyun's fingers idly play with it. He peeks at the clock on the other side of the gym. All styles should be starting soon, which means Jaehyun should get out into a cypher to warm up before it’s too late.

 

Taeil entered him in all styles, since that’s where Ten said Taeyong competes the most in. Jaehyun is pretty sure the two of them are pulling some strings behind the scenes to pair him and Taeyong up, but he isn’t complaining. Technically the jam is set up for 3v3 battles, so he isn’t certain how the two devils plan to get him and Taeyong alone.

 

Again, Jaehyun doesn’t ask questions.

 

Their battle is going to happen one way or another; it would just be nice to have the showdown in an official setting with a judge to determine their fate, rather than a hastily struck up battle on the outskirts of the venue. He doesn’t want to just throw himself in front of Taeyong and demand a face off, after all.

 

Once is embarrassing enough.

 

Jaehyun hovers on the outside of the cypher, watching carefully for a break in the rhythm. It’s pretty hard. So many b-boys and b-girls are just bursting to get out there, sometimes even interrupting each others’ rounds if they go on too long. He’s noticed the different types of cyphers that have cropped up-- this one seems to be mainly footwork and freezes, with some beginners already taking the stage. The adjacent cypher looks to contain mostly powerheads practicing crazy flips and flashy blow-up moves.

 

Luckily, Jaehyun spies his chance as a b-girl steps back into her place with two long braids swinging. He ventures out into the middle of the cypher, palms sweating a bit as he becomes acutely aware of everyone’s eyes on him.

 

However, it’s good to get used to performing in front of others. Jaehyun benefited a _lot_ from his one on one practices with his friends, but it didn’t do much for him in terms of stage fright. He’s just got to rely on his skills to carry him past his blatant inexperience with competitions.

 

As Jaehyun carefully transitions from a zulu spin into a side freeze, he notices the whoops and cheers directed at him. The stares don’t feel malicious anymore. They probably had picked up on how new he was, so any lingering competitive attitude washes away as they encourage him even as he stumbles getting into his headstand.

 

_Everyone in this community is super friendly and welcoming towards beginners._

 

As Jaehyun straightens up, face flushed red with both exertion and exhilaration, one thought pulses through his mind.

 

Moon Taeil is always right.

 

The emcee hollers something that Jaehyun doesn’t quite catch, caught up in the amazing feeling in his muscles after he danced. Some dancers break off from the cypher, heading towards the main stage, and Jaehyun follows.

 

It must be time.

 

Jaehyun edges his way closer to the front of the crowd. He knows the battles are usually randomly generated. Taeil and Ten probably set him and Taeyong up, but that doesn’t mean he knows anything about when they’ll be going.

 

Countless battles fly by in a whirlwind of energy and vigor, the anticipation coiled in Jaehyun’s chest tightening more and more. He doesn’t realizes he’s pressed up against Sicheng until a comforting hand rests on his shoulder, massaging him a bit.

 

“Go get ‘em.” Sicheng says softly.

 

“And for our last battle of prelims, lemme see Jae and b-boy BLIZZARD face off!” RePlay’s emcee is less shouty than the one at the previous jam, but he still bounces around the stage with unbridled excitement.

 

Fitting that they’d be the last to go.

 

Jaehyun’s heartbeat can’t decide whether to react like he’s meeting the love of his life or marching to his death.

 

Right now, it feels like a little of both.

 

Fingers digging into his thigh, Jaehyun steps beyond the crowd, taking his place at the left side of the tape marking the edge of the stage.

 

Any murmurs from people who recognized Jaehyun from the last jam's disaster are immediately silenced as the crowd parts in front of him. Jaehyun’s heart feels like it’s going to beat out of his chest with anxiety, eyes trained firmly on the ground.

 

This is it. This is his chance to prove himself not only to Taeyong, but to the community. The one he’s been dreaming about for months is standing a few steps away, and Jaehyun’s not sure he’s ready to face him.

 

Slowly, he drags his wobbly gaze up to find the most beautiful boy he’s ever seen standing across from him.

 

The world slows to a crawl.

 

Broken slices of light fall over him as Taeyong steps forward, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his windbreaker. He’s just as strikingly beautiful as he was two months ago-- jaw tight, chin tilted up, mouth pressed in a thin line. His bright hair is styled away from his face, although this time it’s kept in place by a black spin cap, a special beanie for power moves. His gaze is strong and steady, an air of indifference cloaking him.

 

The only thing that gives him away is the surprise shining in his eyes.

 

Jaehyun had spent a long time debating who should go first in the battle. Usually it’s just whoever feels the beat first if it’s not a dominance thing, though it can be easier to go second so you can play off the other person’s antics. Part of Jaehyun wanted to hang back and observe so he could prove his adaptability to Taeyong, but his feet instinctively carry him forward as soon as the beat changes.

 

It’s a remix of one of the songs Taeil has played for him during practices. He can’t predict every pause or beat drop, but the music easily settles in his veins, his heart beating in time with the drums.

 

He can do this.

 

Jaehyun groves to the music for a few seconds, but he knows that freestyle hip hop is far from his strong suit, so he quickly moves into some toprock.

 

_Left foot kick, right foot kick, right foot to left side, switch legs, kick front, pause, turn around, repeat._

 

He switches to some basic cross steps. It’s an easy move that allows him to focus on facial expressions and attitude for a minute, arms sweeping in large, confident motions.

 

Once Jaehyun feels like he’s established his presence well enough, he prepares for footwork. He jumps as high as he can, hitting a clean pose in the air before landing with his legs crossed. He unwinds with a dramatic flair, crouching down as he spins. From the squat, he rounds his back and pitches into a somersault.

 

His eyes stray towards Taeyong, inches away from him.

 

The music builds as he lands with one knee planted on the ground. His elbow lays across his other knee, chin resting in one hand. His other arm dangles casually by his side, switching his persona from powerful and aggressive to laid back and confident.

 

Jaehyun smirks, jerking his chin up just as the beat drops.

 

It’s a small movement, but the fiery precision and attention to detail makes the onlookers lose their minds, flapping their hands in the gesture that Jaehyun has come to understand _does_ mean  _fucking cool, dude!_

 

Jaehyun catches a glimpse of Taeyong’s reaction before he launches into the next step. His heart stutters in his chest as he prays that he isn’t imagining the slight impressed smile on Taeyong’s lips.

 

He gears up for the hardest part of the set he’s prepared, footwork. He’s likely to go off the script a lot with this depending on how he lands and where he panics.

 

_Hook, back, out, cross, in, around._

 

_One, two, three, four, five, six._

 

Jaehyun pants.

 

_Hook, back, out, kick through, center._

 

_One, two, three, four, five._

 

Jaehyun abruptly switches sides, moving clockwise for a few steps before bringing it back around, messing around with the order of the steps. Panic claws at him as he realizes the music is picking up, the beat drop approaching faster than he was prepared for.

 

He needs to stick the drop with _something_. In a flash, one leg kicks out, arcing into the air. He sticks the opposite arm out, allowing his floating leg drag his body over so his chest is angled towards the corner of the room.

 

It’s sort of an awkward, crab-like pose, but he manages to wink greasily at Taeyong in the middle of it so it’s not all bad.

 

He resumes the set, the freeze knocking him off his game a little as he struggles to find a good connecting move. Eventually, he settles into a pattern again.

 

He mixes a few sweeps and threads along with the standard steps to give the set more dimension. Rotating around one point on the floor only shows discipline and consistency for so long until it starts getting repetitive and boring.

 

Technically they don’t have a time limit, but beads of sweat are forming on his forehead, and his arms tremble when he lands to warn him that his time is running out.

 

Jaehyun sticks his right leg out, palms flat against the ground as he swings his leg in front of him. Momentum aiding him, he hops over it cleanly. It’s probably the best executed coffee grinder he’s done in a while, and he feels a shaky grin take over his face.

 

His muscles are screaming at him, shuddering as he pushes his limits. He ignores it all and perseveres.

 

Transferring his weight from the ball of his left foot to his hands and back again, he’s able to string together several coffee grinders into a single fluid motion. He starts to move around the floor as he does it-- it’s a conscious decision on his part, but it’s risky. Sometimes traveling on a coffee grinder can be a sign of incorrect weight distribution.

 

No one really cares about proper form in breaking, but still.

 

He switches to reverse coffee grinders, kicking his leg behind him and twisting his body around to avoid the flying limb. His muscles creak and groan, a headache forming behind his eyes from exertion. Sweat pours down his back as he unsteadily lands his last coffee grinder in a half split before rolling to the side and hurling himself into a quick Deadman Float. He can’t support it long, but he wanted to show off one of Taeil’s signature moves as a grateful nod to his mentor.

 

The transition is a little choppy, but he ends the round with an elbow freeze. He can’t hold it very long before he stumbles back onto his feet, but he glows with pride regardless.

 

Sure, he knows that his foot caught on the ground during a few of his coffee grinders. He knows some of his moves were off beat, his toprocks were basic, his stamina wasn’t as good as seasoned dancers, and he stuttered on his footwork, and goddamn Jaehyun is _proud of himself._

 

He strikes a final tough guy pose, staring Taeyong down with a knowing grin as he runs the tip of his finger over the design on his hat: leathery black, but with a rather cutesy finger heart embroidered in red thread, BLIZZARD inscribed on the strap.

 

Jaehyun retreats to his side to screams and cheers from the crowd, a smile firm on his face as he replays Taeyong’s nod of approval in his head. The message is clear.

 

_Challenge accepted._

 

Jaehyun’s heart catches in his throat as Taeyong shimmies forward, unsure whether the sudden weakness in his bones is from pushing himself too hard or the amused look the boy flashes him before he starts.

 

The DJ switches the music up to a track with a dirty bass line and thumping beats. A slow smile worms its way onto Taeyong’s face as soon as he hears it, adapting his moves to the new vibe.

 

He’s just as breathtaking as the first time Jaehyun saw him.

 

His style is smoother, more fluid as opposed to the aggressive waacking and tutting Jaehyun remembers. He speeds things up occasionally, but for the most part he proves that fast moves don’t automatically make a dance good-- elegance and subtlety go a long way.

 

Taeyong is truly a wild card.

 

Jaehyun looks closer, trying to pick out moves he recognizes. Taeyong switches from a few complicated toprocks to something that Jaehyun can only assume is freestyle hip hop. He doesn’t recognize anything.

 

Jaehyun’s ears perk up as he catches Taeyong fluidly transitions into battle rock, signaling his next move. It’s a quick, syncopated step from side to side that many breakers use to transition into power.

 

Right on cue, Taeyong twists his waist and puts one hand on the ground. Using the momentum generated by the battle rock, he sweeps his legs out from under him, swinging them around in a staggered motion. He’s only on his palms, picking one up at at time to transfer the weight. Both legs trace circles around him as they clear the ground almost effortlessly. Taeyong crunches and twists his torso to keep his hips high so his legs won’t crash.

 

Jaehyun’s at the edge of his metaphorical seat as Taeyong drops from the repeated flares into windmills. He marvels at the way the other boy is able to keep the energy flowing, but Taeyong quickly runs out of momentum on the windmills-- likely getting dizzy at the same time.

 

He pulls himself up into some basic footwork, but the little twists of his heels or waist that he throws in spices it up plenty. Taeyong braces his hands against the floor and leans into a Deadman Float, making Jaehyun breathless.

 

The boy pauses for a moment as the music becomes muffled, bouncing in place in a crouch. His stare is dark and dangerous, and it’s aimed right at Jaehyun.

 

Swallowing hard, Jaehyun locks eyes with Taeyong. The enticing boy flicks his eyes over to the DJ table with amusement reflected in his eyes. He’s waiting for the breakdown.

 

Taeyong smirks at him when the beat drops, a clever call back to Jaehyun’s own signature move. Jaehyun nearly faints, for more than one reason.

 

 _He’s playing along,_ he realizes, giddy at the mere prospect of it. His heartbeat picks up in wonder. _He’s receptive. He’s working off what I put out there._

 

_I have a chance._

 

“Is that all you got!” High on the moment, Jaehyun doesn’t realize he’s hollered the words between hysterical giggles until it rings through the space. The lights, the crowd, the noise, all of it fades away, leaving the two of them to dance in this private little pocket of time carved out by the universe.

 

Taeyong immerses himself in footwork again, but Jaehyun can see the bright smile he’s fighting back. He hits a few quick freezes here and there, biting off a giggle every now and then.

 

He looks like he’s having fun.

 

Taeyong soon enters a series of threads, making various loops out of his body and threading other parts through. At one point, he forms a loop out of his arms and bends his leg back impossibly far to thread it through. He breaks the loop after that, hands flying around his body to the beat. As his hands travel up his body, he pats his cheek, cocking his head to the side cutely.

 

(Well, it probably wasn’t meant to be cute. Everything Taeyong does is cute to Jaehyun, though.)

 

After a few more swipes, splits, and headstands, Taeyong finishes his set. Jaehyun doesn’t realize that he’d been working himself closer and closer to Jaehyun until he stands up _very_ close to Jaehyun’s face. He tears off the spin cap, his red hair matted to his forehead with sweat.

 

Somehow, it’s not gross because it’s Taeyong.

 

(The cheesy thought alone is gross enough for Jaehyun.)

 

With a playful smile, Taeyong drags his index finger along the brim of Jaehyun’s hat. His other fingers graze over his cheekbone, making Jaehyun audibly gulp. His pulse hammers under his skin. He swears Taeyong could hear it with how close he is.

 

“I’ll be taking that.” Taeyong says breathily, chest heaving as he tries to catch his breath from his exhausting set. In a flash, he’s whipped the hat off Jaehyun’s head, turning it backwards as he places it on his own head.

 

Jaehyun doesn’t realize the boy had run a soft hand through Jaehyun’s messy hat hair to fix it until the touch is already gone, the culprit sauntering off.

 

“Fuckin’ fresh set, man! I haven’t seen Taeyong smile like that in a long time, and he hasn’t even talked to you yet.” Ten says into his ear, making Jaehyun jump. Their private bubble shatters as Taeyong turns his back on him, taking a step away, and the world comes back into full focus.

 

Being near Taeyong feels like it’s own special set of world-numbing drugs.

 

“Ten?!” Jaehyun snaps back into reality. “Shouldn’t you be on Taeyong’s side of the stage?”

 

“Yeah but-- yo, what the fuck?” Ten’s words are choked off as the emcee lifts a tiny body onto the stage.

 

The kid looks to be about twelve, if that. He’s nearly drowning in his spin cap, baggy clothes hanging off his thin frame. He looks a little embarrassed to be put out there, but shuffles forward as the emcee beckons him on with both hands.

 

He swaggers in a tight circle around the stage before leading into the absolute _craziest_ toprock set Jaehyun has seen in his short life.

 

The crowd goes fucking feral as soon as the boy starts to move, no one expecting this level of skill from the tiny boy.

 

The kid’s feet are moving faster than the eyes can track, his arms snapping and twisting and popping like nothing Jaehyun has ever seen before. He’s a blur of motion, knowing when to throw in a few slower moves to keep it from coming off as too frantic or too desperate.

 

And then, he drops.

 

He’s incredibly light on his feet as he throws out a few footwork moves Jaehyun can’t even put a name on. However, he doesn’t linger on that long before he shows his true colors as a powerhead.

 

The kid starts off with some basic windmills that somehow just get faster and faster. He abruptly takes his hands off the ground as he rotates, entirely relying on his core strength to get his hips around. As if that’s not enough, he uses the rest of his momentum to rock himself up onto his head for headspins.

 

Using his hands, he propels himself around faster and faster. Jaehyun’s jaw drops as the boy then removes his arms entirely, keeping them out for balance as he rotates impossibly faster like a goddamn Beyblade.

 

He must spin for at least thirty seconds, completely unaided, before planting his hands back on the ground. He lets his feet dangle past his head, nearing the floor as his back curves into a painful looking J shape. He holds the pose for a few seconds before coming down, barely looking tired at all.

 

Everyone is still losing their shit, their screams louder than anything Jaehyun has heard all night. The room is launched into total chaos, people flooding the stage and running in circles, unable to believe what they just saw.

 

The kid totally just blew the both of them out of the water, along with probably _all_ the other adults at the competition. Jaehyun leans around the people blocking his way to try to find the judges, but it seems like they’ve already moved on.

 

“That was Jisung from the New Age Fliers.” Ten shakes his head in confusion. “They’re a duo, and I guess his partner Chenle couldn’t participate so they just threw him in wherever. It’s probably because it was a 1v1 and we technically weren’t supposed to do that…” He trails off, looking apologetic.

 

Jaehyun’s head is spinning. “Wait, but who won?”

 

_Beat me in a battle, then we’ll talk._

 

"I'm sorry, Jaehyunnie. I don't know what happened out there." Jaehyun doesn’t realize Taeil is next to him until the shorter man rubs his shoulder.

 

Jaehyun bites his lip. “It’s okay, I probably wouldn’t have won anyways.”

 

He’s telling the truth. Honestly, if any winners were determined it would’ve probably been Jisung. Even beyond that, Jaehyun knows his set was decent, but there was no way he could’ve ever measured up to Taeyong.

 

He can’t begrudge Jisung in the slightest, it sounds like his situation wasn’t ideal either, and their one on one battle was kind of pushing it.

 

“You did amazing, though!” Ten bear hugs him, the thin boy lifting Jaehyun off his feet as he squeezes him tightly. Jaehyun wheezes as he begs Ten to let him go, air supply cutting out.

 

“Yeah, we’re so, so proud of you, Jae. You’ve come so far!” Taeil ruffles his hair. Sicheng has a gummy smile on his face, silently reaching out to take Jaehyun’s hand.

 

The still rambunctious onlookers edge them out of the way a bit. Jaehyun gratefully steps into the less crowded space, his heart still thrumming wildly below his skin.

 

“ _Jae!_ ” A pair of arms are thrown around his neck. Jaehyun turns to the best of his ability, warmth flooding him as he recognizes the people in front of him.

 

“You guys came!” He cries out happily as he’s attacked with affection. Lucas, Mark, Doyoung, Yuta, Kun, Donghyuck, even Renjun and his devils, everyone came to support him. He glows with pride, unbelievably thankful to have such loving friends.

 

“Yo, _what_ was that spinny thing you did out there? Can you teach me?” Mark pelts him with questions like an hyper child, only being interrupted by Lucas asking effectively the same questions.

 

Jaehyun laughs as he promises to set them up with some lessons from Taeil. He chats with his friends for a few minutes before breaking off to get water.

 

He’s happy, of course. He’s content with his set and how his first competition was received, but he can’t help the bittersweet taste lingering in his mouth.

 

He set out to win. Sure, he fell in love with the art form, the people, the atmosphere, and the part of himself he discovered through it all, but he can’t shake the disappointment burrowing into his heart from not accomplishing his goal.

 

Jaehyun sighs, shaking his sweaty fringe out of his eyes. He’ll challenge Taeyong to a rematch, or something. He was serious about his talk with Ten. He really wants to get to know the person hiding beneath Taeyong’s icy front-- BLIZZARD is an apt name indeed.

 

Jaehyun’s willing to make it work no matter what.

 

He won’t give this up.

 

“So, um, where did you want to go?” A figure steps suddenly into Jaehyun’s path, nearly knocking him off his feet.

 

“Wh- huh-- I--” Jaehyun splutters uselessly, gaping at the small boy in front of him. All thoughts of his destination desert him.

 

Actually, all thoughts and brain functions in general fly out of his head, leaving him stand there in shock like a Sim waiting for directions.

 

“Uh-- unless you aren’t interested anymore?” Taeyong’s pitch rises unsteadily at the end of the sentence, his confidence dwindling. His gaze falls to the grimy floor, scuffing his heel a little. He’s clutching his bag with white knuckles. “Sorry, I just thought--”

 

“No!” Jaehyun is quick to stop him from going down that path. “That’s not it at all. I just...I didn’t win. That was what we agreed on, right? I had to win.”

 

Taeyong blinks slowly at him. (Jaehyun tries to ignore the way his long eyelashes brush against his skin).

 

“Technically neither of us won.”

 

A beat passes in silence. Jaehyun can’t take his eyes off Taeyong’s lips. He’s not going to argue with that logic. “Um, so what now?”

 

“Well…” Taeyong shuffles a bit, eyes shyly darting to the left. “I heard there was a good post-performance pizza place down the street.”

 

 _Taeyong wears his confidence like armor,_ Jaehyun observes. The flustered boy in front of him is worlds away from the fearsome persona he saw just moments ago.

 

The way he stumbles over the alliteration makes the butterflies in Jaehyun’s heart sing, but the smile quickly drops from his face at the boy’s genuinely nervous expression. Unease claws its way into his stomach.

 

“You don’t have to, you know.” Jaehyun chews anxiously on his lip. “You don’t... you don’t owe me anything.” _You wouldn’t have even if I had won_ , he adds in his head because truly, he doesn’t want Taeyong to be uncomfortable.

 

He just wants a chance.

 

An honest chance.

 

“No, I um. I want to try this.” Taeyong fists his hand in the hem of his oversized shirt, which came untucked during the competition. “Ten’s told me a lot about you, you know.”

 

Immediately, Jaehyun feels his cheeks catch flame, groaning at the thought of the devilish boy. “Well that can’t be good. Whatever he says, it’s not true.”

 

“What, about the long hours you put in to learn how to break? About how dedicated and loyal you are? How passionate? The way you gave up countless hours of sleep to train, venturing fearlessly out of your comfort zone? Were those all...lies?” Jaehyun looks up sharply, but there’s a teasing smile playing at Taeyong’s lips, his eyes widened in faux innocence.

 

“Wow, he said all that? I hope Ten doesn’t have a crush on me.” Jaehyun giggles. He inches a bit closer to Taeyong, who doesn’t shy away.

 

Taeyong nods. “I hope so too.”

 

Jaehyun lets out a very manly squeak, immediately dropping any sort of cool guy flirting facade he had. He gulps, feeling like his brain has gone into total Taeyong lockdown. “C-Can we please get going before I convince myself that I’m dreaming?”

 

Taeyong snorts, covering a shy smile with his hand, and Jaehyun falls absolutely, completely, in love with him.

 

Fuck Disney princes and their penchant for love at first sight. Taeil better eat his words.

 

Jaehyun turns on shaky legs to go tell his friends that he’s skipping out on their after-jam laser tag session. There will be other times-- he’s got a date right now.

 

 _Holy fuck I have a date_. Jaehyun nearly trips over his own feet. Taeyong’s hand hovers an inch away from his arm, ready to steady him.

 

Jaehyun hopes Taeyong’s cool with going on a date with a tomato, because that’s essentially what Jaehyun’s been reduced to.

 

Jaehyun and Taeyong’s friends seem to be mingling over by the stage, which has been taken over again by cyphers, b-boys and b-girls keeping warm before the next segment of the jam. Jaehyun hears a sharp gasp by his side as they near the group of friends.

 

Taeyong’s eyes widen, a finger flying up to point accusingly at Donghyuck. “Hey, I know you! You broke into my dorm room a few weeks ago!”

 

Jaehyun feels his heart stop. He chokes on his spit, doubling over as he hacks his lungs out. Donghyuck looks terrified for his life. “Uh, wasn’t me.”

 

“Yes, it was! You left chicken nugget crumbs in my bed.”

 

“That was drunk Donghyuck. We don’t claim drunk Donghyuck. We aren’t even friends.” Donghyuck’s eyes are darting rapidly around the room, likely searching for exits in fear of Taeyong coming after his throat.

 

“We don’t claim sober Donghyuck, either.” Jaehyun mutters under his breath. His poor bothersome friend should be more worried about Ten, Taeyong’s guard dog.

 

Though, looking at Ten snuggled up suspiciously close to Johnny, it seems Donghyuck will live to see another day.

 

Regrettably.

 

“A-Anyways, Taeyong and I are gonna, y’know--” Jaehyun gestures vaguely to the door, desperate to get himself out of this situation.

 

 _Please, no one say anything stupid,_ He begs, but he should know better than to expect his friends to play nice around his crush.

 

Lucas waggles his eyebrows suggestively. “Ooh, _are_ you now?~”

 

Jaehyun really is going to die of embarrassment before he steps out the door. God, he’s so close to the date of his dreams. He can’t let his hopes and dreams be sniped by his friends’ headassery. “ _No,_ asslamp. We’re just going for pizza.”

 

Taeyong cackles and grabs Jaehyun’s wrist to pull him out of the gym. Jaehyun remains facing the group long enough to catch Ten smiling at him, but there’s something sharp about it. He watches Ten fish something out of his pocket.

 

The thumbtack glints menacingly in the light as Ten flicks his thumb over it.

 

Jaehyun gulps, shooting a thumbs up Ten’s way.

 

_Message received._

 

As they step out into the cool night air, Jaehyun can’t take his eyes off the thin boy at his side. He can’t squish down the butterflies in his stomach, feeling impossibly light and airy as Taeyong slowly meets his gaze. His heart pounds as he realizes their pinkies are brushing.

 

High on adrenaline, Jaehyun offers his hand to Taeyong with a flourish, dipping his head. “Shall we?”

 

Taeyong giggles and gently places his hand in Jaehyun’s, squeezing it shyly. “We shall.”

 

Jaehyun sits in the cozy pizza parlor and watches Taeyong upend an entire bottle of pepper onto his pizza while explaining seriously how he decided to see if he could give up potatoes for the month-- he sometimes likes to pretend he’s in a Buzzfeed video, apparently-- but it’s only the second day and he’s already not really sure he can see it through.

 

Jaehyun decides this is truly the happiest he’s ever been.

 

He says this to Taeyong, who has a pretty blush spreading across his cheeks. “Cheeseball.” He grumbles, picking pepper flakes off his hand.

 

Jaehyun’s thumb rubs gently over Taeyong’s hand. “Get used to it.”

 

“I...might be able to do that.”

 

“Not like your potato fast, huh?”

 

“Hey! Just because mashed cauliflower isn’t a good enough substitute for potatoes does _not_ make me weak.”

 

“Ooookay, cauliflower boy.”

 

“I’ll kill you!”

 

“Good luck! I’m pretty sure Ten’s got dibs.” Jaehyun winces at the thought, and they dissolve into laughter.

 

Everything seems right in the world with Taeyong’s head on Jaehyun’s shoulder.

 

                                                                               _________________________________________________

 

 

Taeyong shows up to their cafe date a month later with a mysterious bag in his hand.

 

“Bringing gifts to the first date? Fuck, you make me look bad.” Jaehyun grins as the boy sits down, not able to keep his heartbeat under control.

 

“Isn’t this at _least_ the third date? I think I’m in the clear.” Taeyong hands the bag to him, and Jaehyun has to bite back the giddy laugh in the back of his throat. Just brushing hands with Taeyong sends him into a hopeless spiral of love and affection.

 

God, he’s _so_ whipped. Taeil is probably throwing up back at the dorm from their fated roommates emotional bond.

 

Jaehyun tears at the tissue paper to reveal a hat sitting at the bottom of the bag. He gently lays it down on the table, smiling widely.

 

Leathery black, with a rather cutesy finger heart embroidered in red thread.

 

“You gave me your hat…” Jaehyun runs his fingertips over the design, enjoying the ridges in the thread. "Why?"

 

“Um, not quite.” Taeyong says, hunching his shoulders a little. He looks flustered.

 

Jaehyun turns it over. Instead of BLIZZARD embroidered on the adjustable strap, there’s a different name written.

 

_heatHAZE._

 

Jaehyun looks up with a questioning gaze. Taeyong launches into a nervous ramble, not meeting his eyes. “Well, Taeil told me that you didn’t have a b-boy name yet, but you liked the idea of it coming from your community. I talked with your friends a bit, and we came up with heat haze. Your determination, your dedication, your passion, the way you tear up the dance floor, it’s…” Taeyong searches for the right words, eyes roaming the room. It looks like he tried to prepare something to say, but lost it in the moment. “It’s _fiery_. It’s electric, like nothing I’ve seen before.”

 

His fingers scratch uneasily at the table. “And like...you know mirages? How the heat makes objects shimmer sometimes? That’s how I felt when I saw you across from me at RePlay. The fact that you took me seriously, wanted to actually get to know me even if it meant putting yourself out there like that, it seemed too good to be true. Everything about you seemed...unreal.”

 

Taeyong clamps his own hands over his mouth, cringing. “Sorry,” He says, words muffled, “That doesn’t make any sense. I can get it redone if you don’t like the name, or if you don’t want the hat at all that’s fine, or if you never want to see me again I get that as w--”

 

“I love it.” Jaehyun says, breathless as he grabs Taeyong’s face in his hands, forcing the panicking boy to meet his eyes. “I love _you.”_

 

Taeyong splutters in his grip, turning beet red. He melts into Jaehyun’s arms, nuzzling into his chest. “I-I love you too.” He pauses for a minute. “Are you _sure_ you like the name, though?”

 

Jaehyun laughs out loud, face muscles cramping from smiling so hard. The fact that socially anxious Taeyong went out of his way to contact Jaehyun’s (probably terrifying) friends, likely debated for days before coming to a name he thought suited Jaehyun, and then got it custom embroidered onto a hat similar to the one that first pushed Jaehyun to talk to him…

 

Taeyong could have given him the name Sweaty Hands and he would have worn it like a badge of honor.

 

He likes the name heatHAZE on it’s own. It’s unique and compliments a certain part of himself that he lets shine through on the stage, but what really makes it all fall into place is undeniably that it came from those that love him.

 

This is belonging.

 

“BLIZZARD and heatHAZE. We’re a perfect storm, aren’t we?”

 

Jaehyun wouldn’t trade this for the world.

 

                                                                               _________________________________________________

 

 

 

(“So, a little birdie told me that you have an unfortunate allergy to coconuts...?”

 

Jaehyun pauses for a moment, slowly turning to face Taeyong. The little shit has an innocent smile on his face, but for all the work he’s done to act like an emotionless stump, he can’t conceal the mirth in his eyes for the life of him.

 

“Moon Taeil, I’m going to fucking get you.”)

 

 

  

 

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hi!!! my end note was too long for ao3 so i hope you don't mind me plugging it here..... if any of you are even remotely familiar w my other works, yall know whats up; universe notes!!!

jaehyun is an architectural engineering major with an english literature minor, and taeil is an anthropology and art history double major with a vocal performance minor. this is their second year of being roomies and they’re real close. they have tons of cute roomie traditions

taeil is a breaking legend bc i CAN and what's the point of creative freedom if i don't make taeil literally The coolest bboy in existence...also i literally frothed at the mouth at the vancouver show when they played the 90s bboy vcr like it was EMBARRASSING how hard i cried over taeils canon shoulder freeze

weeb breakers are like a Thing!!!! almost every pro breaker i or my crewmates know watches anime. there was one time we had a jam on the same day as an anime convention and immediately after this one bboy lost he went outside to call his friends and tell him he was on his way back to the con fjcjdcj ITS A THING I SWEARRR

the johnny in this verse is cherry bomb johnny bc goddamn i am jorny and i miss it. also he pulled out of the jam bc yangyang convinced him to try out parkour with him and he sprained his ankle. ten and johnny have thing going on hence ten being able to sneak onto their campus easily hehehe. taeil sicheng and yuta are in a poly relationship! also jaehyun totally ran into taeyong when he was trying to get hyuck back to their dorm he just doesnt remember LMAO

renjuns bfs are up to interpretation bc i love him w too many people so take that as you will :’)

since theyre from rival colleges (ten’s team used to be managed by bts and taeil’s team used to be managed by exo) the teams have a dramatic rivals history but like??? no one really cares about it anymore…. but the minute jaeyong found out they acted like goofy star crossed lovers bc they thought it was romantic. ten almost threw up

taeyong’s name!!! taeyong was destined for something wintery because people always call him an ice prince and stuff bc of his stage presence. his team gave him BLIZZARD bc it captured the intensity of his dance style while also keeping up the intimidating and cold theme. also blizzard is the name of a cute TY beanie baby and ten was SO for that. ten is childhood friends with taeyong and has seen him go through a lot :( they are a package deal! they do belong to a larger crew but often compete as a duo, especially for traveling bc they travel more than their crewmates!!!

chensung are a really powerful duo and they grow up to be the cutest bfs ever. they have a lot of really impressive commandos (sometimes bboys will throw out a cue during a set that signals their teammates onto the stage for a choreographed set. sometimes its just toprock and footwork, other times its elaborate cheerleading-esque tricks and crazy stuff like that. chensung are the latter lmao they flex HARD.) they go on to win the breaking youth championships everyone say thank u chensung!

here's a list of crews i had in mind while making this fic! i came up with specialties and stage names for some of them, but it’s not my strong suit (took me the whole year to come up w one for myself) and at one point it felt like i was making warrior cat OCs so i uh. stopped.

 

NEO CITY ROCKERS (Taeil’s crew)

-taeil:  b-boy eclipse (powerhead, musicality)  
-johnny: b-boy lanky legs (taeil is desperately trying to make him change it) (new recruit, doesn’t really have a specialty yet)  
-sicheng: b-boy glide (all styles, powerhead)  
-jeno (toprock and power)  
-jaehyun: b-boy heatHAZE (footwork, toprock)  
-momo  
-soyeon  
-felix  
-kai  
-yixing  
-taemin

 

 

KNOCKOUT ACES (Ten’s crew)

-ten: b-boy supaflex (popping, waacking, power)  
-taeyong: b-boy BLIZZARD (toprock, waacking, footwork)  
-dino: b-boy ZER0 (hip hop, powerhead)  
-moonbin (similar to sicheng, all styles, toprock)  
\--minhyuck: rocky (powerhead, traditional)  
-lisa  
-seulgi  
-jungkook  
-hoseok

  
NEW AGE FLIERS (duo, rising stars in the scene)

-Jisung (all styles, waacking, popping, powerhead)  
-Chenle (toprock, freestyle, footworkhead)

  
INDEPENDENTS (the twelve of them eventually form LUNAR VERSE BREAKERS but this is before that)

-choerry: b-girl cherrysoda  
-olivia hye: b-girl silverblood  
-gowon: b-girl vanilla bean  
\- yves: b-girl eden

 

here’s some links to battles that i think capture this fic well, along w some other moves in case you were curious.  

[jisung was modeled after king kai!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBTyvPl8FHk&list=LL8Q8sXSqX4doIipntw9wynA&index=22&t=0s) 

[the third one was insp for taeil, esp because i learned from him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jgmEwhOwAw&list=LL8Q8sXSqX4doIipntw9wynA&index=22)

[you can imagine taeyong a lil like shigekix](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7jb-xjLJY8)

[taeyongs popping inspired by snap boogie!! ESPECIALLY THE END](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoKljL5bEVw)

[I LOVE THIS BATTLE its a great example of waacking/hip hop, and reminds me a lot of ten ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brQaeEzusW8)

[commandos!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44kKLeDKIIc)

 

[here's me breaking to no longer](https://twitter.com/pixeljunnie/status/1116000264820002817)

 

i really hope you enjoyed!!!!!! breaking is very close to my heart and i love it a lot, i hope you liked me geeking out about it in jaeyong format for nearly 20k words lmao. i knew as soon as i got into it that i wanted to write a b-boy themed au— fun fact, the jisung thing really happened at my first jam and everyone went APESHIT. also, there was an occasion (after i planned this fic lol) where one of our competing members dropped out and we gave her ticket to a friend. luckily they didnt confuse her for a competitor, but i still felt like i was living out my own unborn au LMAOOO and all the dumbass side stories in here are inspired by real events from the people in my life (hyuck climbing through the window, the warlock in the bookstore, the drunk minister, the coconut allergy, etc) good shit

let me know what you thought!!! :')

**Author's Note:**

> again, i hope you liked it <3 drop a comment or hit me up on social media if you have any questions about the au (if u cant tell....i like to talk about aus) or comments or anything at all, id really appreciate it !!!
> 
> STREAM SUPERHUMAN :D
> 
> twitter: pixeljunnie  
> curiouscat: pixinoa  
> tellonym: diotima


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